Eclairs
by Flaignhan
Summary: CDHG "Can I just ask, what exactly are you planning on doing with that eclair?"
1. Eclairs

**A/N:** I love a cheeky Cedric almost as much as I love a charming Tom Riddle. This is a two shot, second part will be posted tomorrow or the day after. Let me know what you think. =]

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

She wandered around, now in her dressing gown and pyjamas as opposed to her dress robes. She hadn't bothered to remove the light make-up that Lavender and Parvati had insisted she wore and her eyeliner was smudged under her eyes. She kept to the shadows as she made her way down to the kitchen, listening intently for any sign of movement, for those shuffling footsteps so recognisable as Argus Filch's.

She was just reaching forward to tickle the pear in the painting that opened onto the kitchen when she heard a loud gasp and a small commotion. Hermione whirled around, wand out, looking to see who had discovered her. Her heart was beating wildly even though she would know by now if she was about to get in trouble or not.

The dark figure straightened in an archway that led to a set of stairs going down to the basement and he stepped forward. The dull orange light from the torches in brackets on the wall showed Hermione a tall boy with light brown, almost blonde hair, rosy cheeks and a dark blue dressing gown tied loosely over his pyjamas.

"I could take points off, you know," he said with a small smile.

"And what would Professor Sprout say if she knew one of her prefects was out of bed? What would Professor _Snape_ say if he knew?"

Cedric Diggory shuddered a little. "I won't tell if you won't," he offered, supplying a winning smile to seal the deal.

"Seems fair enough," she replied as she reached forward and tickled the pear. They both winced as the pear laughed loudly and reformed itself to resemble a door handle. Hermione opened the door and went inside, more than aware that Cedric was following closely behind her.

"Are sir and miss requiring food?" a house elf squeaked as it ran towards them. "We still has plenty left from the feast or we can prepare something if sir and miss would prefer."

"Could I have a sandwich, please?" Cedric asked politely.

"What sort of sandwich sir? We has -"

"Surprise me," Cedric told the elf, then sat down on the steps as he waited for his food.

"And miss?"

Hermione paused. She didn't know what she wanted, she just knew she wanted something that would make her feel better. Food so good that she wouldn't care about stupid Ron or Viktor's irritating staring and lack of verbal communication. She would also try and forget about how he attempted to take what had just been a simple kiss much further than Hermione wanted. She would also try to forget the look of hurt on his face when she pushed him away.

"Miss?" the elf prompted.

"Just...get me something good. Something nice. I want food so good that I want to marry it."

"Yes miss, of course miss," the elf scurried away and rounded up several of his fellow kitchen staff to prepare their food.

Hermione sat down and when she glanced at Cedric, she saw he was smiling.

"What?"

"Food so good you want to marry it?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Well apart from the fact that the law prohibits such marriages, how in the name of Merlin would the wedding night work?"

Hermione blushed and her jaw dropped. "I didn't mean literally!"

"I know, I'm just curious. It's your fault, you put the images in my head in the first place. I just can't wait to see what they give you to eat."

Hermione's blush deepened. "You should have more self restraint," she told him, in an attempt to be mature and save herself a little dignity. "I don't let my mind wander off at the first opportunity."

"Oh really?" he smiled widely at her and shifted so he was closer to her. "Is that so?" his voice was almost a whisper. "Tell me, Hermione," his lips were millimetres from her ear, "what are you thinking right now?"

Hermione inhaled deeply and ignored the fresh masculine scent that assaulted her nostrils. "I'm thinking that you've had far too many girls falling over your feet for just a second of attention. And I'm thinking that you've let it all go to your head."

He laughed gently and his breath tickled her neck. "Wow," he said, "that's the first time that's ever happened."

"You do that a lot?"

"Never intentionally. Still, it's nice to know that a girl is listening to what I'm saying rather than just enjoying the view."

"You're very sure of yourself."

"You've shaken my confidence a little, I admit. Still, I suppose it'll do me some good."

"Harry hasn't started the egg yet," she said in a rush.

Cedric sat up straighter. "Change of subject..." he mused.

"I'm worried he's not going to work out the clue in time. He's just going to leave it until the last minute and..." she sighed and rubbed her temples with her fingertips. "I don't think he should be doing this."

"Who do you think put his name in?" Cedric asked quietly.

"No idea," she replied, turning to look at him. "Cedric, it's Harry, he's got a long list of people who want to see him dead."

"You don't think someone did it for a laugh, then? Not one of the Slytherins who want to see him make a fool of himself?"

"Slytherins couldn't fool that cup. The magic on that cup is ancient, too powerful for a student to mess with."

An elderly house elf trotted up holding a plate above his head, a ridiculously large sandwich resting on it. "For you, sir," the house elf said in a reedy voice. "We hope you likes it."

"Thanks," Cedric said, taking the plate from the house elf and resting it on his knees. The elf trotted off again. "They like to go overboard, don't they," he said, carefully picking up one half of the sandwich and frowning at it, as though trying to decide how best to tackle the thing.

They fell into silence as Cedric started eating his sandwich, chewing each bite thoroughly before swallowing.

"Miss!"

Hermione's attention was drawn to a house elf holding a large tray.

"Chicken soup, freshly baked bread and chocolate éclairs. Is that to your liking miss?"

"Thank you," Hermione said kindly. She noticed Cedric smirk out of the corner of her eye and her teeth ground together.

She ate her soup in silence, the tray balancing precariously on her knees, her pumpkin juice on constant danger of toppling over.

"Can I just ask," Cedric said suddenly when she was almost finished her soup, "What exactly are you planning to do with those éclairs?" Cedric smirked at Hermione's blush and returned to his sandwich.

"Are you this rude to Cho?"

"Does Krum know you're having a romantic liaison with a chocolate éclair?"

"I'm not having a -"

"Chill _out_, Hermione. Merlin, anyone would think that you're on the verge of a nervous breakdown!"

"Who says I'm not?"

The smile disappeared from Cedric's face. "Are you?"

"I'm fine," Hermione told him, her voice slightly hysterical. "You know, in between trying to make sure Harry stays alive and dealing with homework as well as Ron being a stupid jealous git oh and to top it off it turns out that Viktor is only really after one thing but apart from those tiny little hiccups my life is _perfect_."

Cedric's eyebrows were raised so high that they almost met his hair.

Hermione sighed. "Sorry," she said quickly.

"Ball wasn't the perfect night you expected?" he asked carefully, his eyebrows resuming their normal position.

Hermione let out a short sarcastic laugh. "You could say that."

"So Weasley has decided as soon as he can't have you that he wants you, and he's taken it out on you despite it being his own stupid fault that he didn't ask you to the ball in the first place..."

Hermione nodded and Cedric continued.

"And Krum what...invited you back to the ship?"

Hermione shook her head.

"Just went for it anyway?"

"Sort of."

"Did you get away?"

"Yeah," Hermione picked up her goblet of pumpkin juice and drained the cup. "Éclair?" she offered.

Cedric held back a laugh and took one.

"What are _you_ going to do with that?" Hermione questioned, picking up her own one.

"Well," Cedric said as he tore off the end of the éclair and popped it in his mouth. "First I'm going to open it like this," he bit down the side of the éclair so it opened flat, the cream completely exposed. "And then I'm going to eat the cream," he dipped his finger into the cream then put it in his mouth, sucking the cream off. He did it again, and again, and again, until all the cream was gone. "Then I'm going to eat the pastry," he told her, before he bit off a large chunk of pastry and chewed it. He did this until there was only the long strip of chocolate left. "And now I'm going to eat the chocolate, save the best for last and all that," he put the chocolate into his mouth and closed his eyes as he chewed it.

"You're disgusting," Hermione told him, one eyebrow raised. "If only your fan club could see you now."

"Oh if only they'd all jump in the lake," he said exasperatedly. "Cho _hates_ it. She's not one for sharing."

Hermione made a note to tell Harry, a small consolation after his rejection.

"So, what are you going to do with yours?" he asked her, glancing at the éclair and then back at Hermione.

"I don't think I could possibly beat that disgusting display."

"Oh try, please."

Hermione found that his smile relaxed her, dulled her inhibitions ever so slightly. She found that she was much less self conscious and a lot more prepared to have fun, to laugh. She had been so stressed lately and the ball had not helped matters at all. Now she was sitting in the kitchen in the middle of the night with the 'true' Hogwarts champion (the fact that he was widely acknowledged to be the best looking boy in the school was completely inconsequential) discussing disgusting ways to eat éclairs.

"Hermione, I'm waiting."

"Patience is a virtue, Cedric. Creativity does not merely spring forth at three o'clock in the morning."

Cedric smirked and waited.

"I...can't think of anything," she admits finally. "Any ideas?"

"You could put it _all_ in at once."

"No."

He laughed.

"You're really quite disgusting, aren't you?"

"I think you like me like that."

"I'd prefer it if you didn't try and force me to do ridiculous things with an éclair."

"You were the one that wanted to marry it."

Hermione rolled her eyes and bit off the end of her éclair.

"Wow," Cedric said, feigning amazement, "that's sexy."

"I know," Hermione replied dully, "I don't know how you can resist me."

"What, are you trying to get through all the champions before the tournament's over? Or even before new year's eve?"

"Definitely," she had given up on being indignant and just decided to let his mind wander down whatever nonsensical trail it had created.

"Not being funny, Hermione, but I'm not sure Fleur swings that way."

"Shame, I was looking forward to it."

"Oh cheer up, for Merlin's sake! Potter will probably fluke his way through this in the way that Potter does, Weasley will probably stop being an idiot soon and if Krum's worth having he'll apologise unreservedly and beg for you to give him a little of your attention. Just relax, it's Christmas Day."

"I didn't even think about that," Hermione said mildly, staring unseeingly at her last bit of éclair before she popped it in her mouth.

"You're mental."

"He says, as though I'm completely unaware."

He laughed and stood up. "Time for bed, I think."

"Yeah," Hermione agreed, setting her tray to one side and getting to her feet.

"You're joining me?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"You're very bad for my ego."

"Good."

Cedric grinned and Hermione was reminded why he had so much female attention bestowed upon him.

"Hermione?"

She looked up.

"You've got some chocolate -" he gestured towards his own mouth and Hermione felt the heat rise in her cheeks slightly as she wiped at her mouth.

"Gone?" she asked.

Cedric shook his head and reached forward, wiping a tiny smear of chocolate off of the corner of her lips with his thumb. "Gone now," he said.

Hermione nodded, her throat too constricted to formulate words.

Cedric frowned, looking a little worried suddenly. "I'll just – goodnight, Hermione."

She nodded again. "Night Cedric."

He looked at her one last time and disappeared from the kitchen.

"Did miss enjoy her éclairs?" a little house elf squeaked as it collected her tray and Cedric's plate.

"Yeah," Hermione told the elf, "they were very nice, thank you."

* * *


	2. Incredibly Small Minority

**A/N:** So this may end up being longer than a two-shot. I had underestimated my love for Cedric quite drastically. This won't be awfully long, I'm not sure I can handle awfully long, although my current multi-chapter is almost finished. My big one remains untouched for months, but I shan't count that. ;-) Anyway. Point is, don't expect something really really long. And don't expect it to be wonderful because I'm totally winging this. Let me know what you think of this chapter - thanks for the reviews for last chapter. Enjoy! =]

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**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

"Herm-own-ninny."

Hermione turned around at another failed attempt at pronouncing her name. Her eyes scanned the crowd for the flaming red hair that would alert her to Ginny's whereabouts. She needed an escape route and Ginny was nowhere to be seen.

"Can ve talk?"

"Viktor..." she had already decided that there would be no second chance. Not when he gave the impression of being a mute half of the time and what Hermione had decided to be thoroughly important in a potential boyfriend were competent conversation skills.

"There you are!" Ginny pounced on Hermione from behind, grabbing her by the elbow and dragging her forward. "Hurry up or we'll be stuck sitting next to the first years."

Hermione ignored Viktor's annoyed expression as Ginny yanked her through the crowded entrance hall. "Where the hell were you?" she asked Ginny quietly through gritted teeth. "He completely caught me off guard!"

"And you're sure you don't fancy him just a little bit?" Ginny asked.

Hermione shook her head.

"Is Ron in with a chance?"

She shook her head again.

"Who d'you fancy then?"

"Ginny," Hermione began in an exasperated tone, "unlike you I am able to function without constantly fantasising about the opposite sex. I am more than happy to be unhindered by stupid teenage hormones at this point in time."

"Is he smart?"

Hermione sighed and searched for Harry and Ron as they reached the Gryffindor table.

* * *

Lunch was a noisy affair, with crackers going off like cannons, excited chatter and constant nagging questions from Ginny about her supposed new love interest.

"What the hell is he doing?" Ron's disgusted voice broke into Hermione's thoughts.

She looked at Ron to find out who he was talking about then followed his gaze to see Cedric, scooping the cream out of an éclair with his finger. Hermione stifled a giggle but Ron noticed.

"You find that attractive?" he asked disbelievingly.

"No, I find it quite disgusting," she told him, trying to hide her smile. "Although it's a lot more attractive than jealousy, I must say."

Ron fell silent, a scowl set into his eyebrows.

Hermione picked up an éclair from the mountain of pastries nearby and bit the end off of her own. Cedric stopped his dissection of the éclair for enough time to give her a brief smile.

"Merlin's beard!" Ginny giggled. "This is huge. Abominably huge. _Criminally _huge."

"What?" Hermione frowned, looking away from Cedric and turning her attention back to Ginny.

"Diggory?" Ginny whispered excitedly. "Cedric Diggory?"

"Ginny, he's seeing Cho."

"That doesn't seem to bother him, did you see the look he just gave you? Oh my _god_!"

"Ginny you're being absurd."

"So why is he looking at you while he's eating his chocolate éclair in such a _sexy_ way?"

"It's not sexy, Ginny. It's sick."

"Why are you eating an éclair too? And looking at him? And grinning at him? And fancying him?"

"I don't fancy him!" Hermione whispered sharply. "Now shut up or people will hear and you know how gossip spreads around here."

Ginny inhaled deeply, a wide grin spread across her freckled features. She shook her head disbelievingly and tucked into her trifle, carefully monitoring all communications between Cedric and Hermione.

Finally, after having eaten far too much and becoming rather tired of the noise, Hermione got up and headed back to her dormitory. She didn't notice Krum get up after she had left (nor had Ginny if she had she would have been legging it to Hermione with a thousand excuses running around in her head as to why there was absolutely not enough time in the world for her to talk to Viktor) and nor did she notice Cedric watch him carefully. He got up and followed Krum from the great hall.

* * *

"I vant to talk to you."

"I don't want to talk to you, Viktor," Hermione said hurriedly as she climbed the stairs.

Krum sighed. "Herm-own-ninny -"

Hermione resisted the urge to correct him but could not ignore the fact that her patience had reached breaking point.

"I am very sorry," he told her emptily.

Hermione frowned at his tone. He was sorry she had reacted the way she had, but he didn't seem all that bothered about the fact that he had caused such a reaction. He was apologising to try and fix things, not because he genuinely meant it.

"Leave me alone, Viktor," she turned and continued up the stairs but was yanked back by Krum.

"I _said_ I vas sorry," he growled.

Hermione struggled to stay calm. "Let me go, Viktor."

"Not until you accept my apology."

"You're hurting my wrist," Hermione said in an attempt at a dangerous tone of voice. "Now let me go before I hex you."

"Oh yes, Herm-own-ninny, I vould love to see that; your attempt to duel me."

"Krum, if she hexes you, you'll be going back to Bulgaria in a body bag, trust me. You shouldn't underestimate her."

Hermione looked up and sighed in relief. Cedric, with very slight chocolate stains on his lips (_not _that she'd been looking, of course) was standing a few stairs below, wand out and despite his casual tone, his face was hard.

Krum's face twitched and he paused for a moment, looking between Cedric's wand and Hermione, before he shoved Hermione's wrist back towards her, almost sending her toppling over the last few steps. She caught herself on the bannister and steadied herself. Cedric growled and closed the gap between him and Krum.

"That's no way to treat a lady," he said darkly.

"And vat vould your lady think if she knew you vere running around after other girls?"

"I don't think she'd be too bothered to know that I was stepping in when a scum bag like yourself was harassing someone much smaller and younger than himself. No offence, Hermione."

"None taken," she said shakily, her eyes darting between the two boys.

"Go," Cedric said. "And if I hear that you've been harassing her again, and I _will_ hear, then you better get your friends to start watching your back."

Krum glared for a moment before barging past Cedric and jogging down the steps, back into the entrance hall and out of the main doors.

Hermione's eyes were still wide with shock.

"Are you okay?" Cedric asked gently. "Did he hurt you?"

"Not really," Hermione replied. "My wrist's a bit sore but -"

"Let me see," he said, taking her wrist gently in his hand and inspecting it.

Hermione didn't realise she was holding her breath until after Cedric had let her wrist go and she exhaled a long shaky breath. He pretended not to notice.

"It'll probably be a bit bruised, Madam Pomfrey's got some -"

"I'll be fine," she told him, "honestly, it's just a bit of a bruise, I've suffered worse."

"You tell me," he began seriously, "if he bothers you again, you tell me, all right?"

"Oh I can see it now," Hermione laughed, "me running up to the Hufflepuff table at lunch. 'Cedric! Viktor's being rotten to me again! Will you go and sort him out?'" she laughed again but Cedric remained serious.

"Tell me. All right? I won't have him thinking he can harass you and get away with it. I won't have him thinking that Hogwarts girls are his for the taking, just because he's a professional quidditch player. It's _not_ how it works."

"You think it's your job to protect all us Hogwarts girls?" Hermione asked, smiling slightly.

"I think it's my job to do something if I know there's going to be trouble. I wasn't just going to sit in the great hall and wonder what was happening."

Hermione frowned. "You mean, you followed me?"

Cedric shook his head. "_Krum_ followed you. I followed Krum."

Hermione's mouth formed a small 'o' shape.

"And I'm glad I did. I didn't think he'd be like that. He always seemed like a pretty good guy."

"He's not _that_ bad. He's just not used to rejection."

"Neither am I, but I didn't react like that in the kitchens this morning."

"That's because you were messing around. And you've got a girlfriend so it doesn't even matter."

"True, but even so, a blow to the ego is a blow to the ego no matter what your relationship status."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. What was he saying?

"Oh I didn't mean it like that. I really like Cho. I'm just saying that rejection is just as shocking whether you've got a girlfriend or not."

"It's not shocking if you're used to it," Hermione told him. "And get used to it, because only an airhead would fall for a smile and a bit of whispering."

Cedric laughed loudly. "A smile and a bit of whispering? Is that all it was to you? Blimey, I must be losing my touch. And what about my seductive éclair-eating techniques?"

It was Hermione's turn to laugh now. "Seductive? You called _that_ seductive? I think your title as Hogwarts Heartthrob is in jeopardy!"

"You think I'm the Hogwarts Heartthrob?" he asked curiously.

"Oh don't tell me you're oblivious. I won't believe you for a second. Almost every female in this school is infatuated with you."

"And what group do you belong to? Almost every female or the incredibly small minority who don't fall for a smile and a bit of whispering?"

"The incredibly small minority of course," Hermione said primly.

"Your heart did beat a little bit faster though, didn't it?"

"Arrogance isn't very attractive, Cedric."

He grinned and let the matter drop.

* * *

She wasn't aware of the moment when it stopped being a casual conversation on the stairs and started being a full in depth questioning session to try and find out about each other as they sat on the small landing where the stairs changed direction, but it did happen.

She hadn't talked this much in quite a while and it felt good to be involved in a conversation with someone who was (despite rumours about his empty head) really quite intelligent.

Cedric only mentioned Krum when he enquired as to how he had gone about asking her out. She didn't feel stupid telling him, not like she had when she had explained to Harry and Ron, but Cedric merely smiled when he found out that the deed had been done in the library, of all places.

He questioned her thoroughly on muggle life. Being a pureblood without prejudice, he admitted that he was curious as to how things really worked when there was no magic available.

It seemed like mere minutes had passed when Ron, Harry and Ginny appeared, coming down the stairs.

"There you are!" Ron said. "I thought you were going to the common room? We were getting worried, you weren't in the library or anything!"

Hermione ignored Ginny's gaping mouth. "Sorry," she apologised. "We just got talking."

Ron frowned slightly and glanced at Cedric who got to his feet.

"Harry, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Harry looked puzzled but agreed. "I'll see you down in the great hall."

"You're going back for more food?" Hermione asked in shock. "We've only just had -"

"Hermione it's half past seven," Ginny informed her, her teeth bared in a wide grin. She glanced at Cedric, admiring him for half a second (Cedric pretended not to notice) before saying, "lost track of the time, did we?"

Hermione almost stumbled as Ginny dragged her down the stairs, clearly intent on getting all the details of her afternoon with Cedric.

"I'll see you later," Hermione called over her shoulder. She managed to catch sight of Cedric's grin.

"See you later."

Ron caught up with them halfway down the stairs.

"Git," he said darkly. "Wanted to talk to Harry _alone_. What does he want, anyway?"

"I don't know," Hermione replied truthfully. "Maybe it's something about the tournament or something."

"Probably trying to find out how to get into that egg," Ron growled.

"Well he's going to get _loads_ of information from Harry, isn't he?"

"Point still stands, he's a cheating little -"

"He's not. He's very nice, now stop being so horrible."

Ron huffed.

* * *

Hermione rolled her eyes as Ginny told Colin to budge up so they could sit next to Fred and George. The twins wouldn't be interested in their conversation and Colin was showing Mary Paddick the photos he had taken at the first task, which had just finished developing.

"Don't even try to deny it," Ginny said in a low voice. "How can five hours just fly by unless you're completely infatuated with him?"

"It was good conversation, that's all. A rarity around here, it seems," she said pointedly. Ginny ignored her.

"So what did he really want?"

"He was doing your job actually. Krum pounced on me and wouldn't let me go back to the common room. He turned quite nasty actually, but Cedric stepped in."

Ginny's expression showed temporary guilt before returning to excitement. "So he rescued you? He must have followed you. He must have wanted to -"

"He followed Viktor," Hermione told her with a sigh. "He knew about what had happened yesterday and noticed that Viktor had followed me out. That's it."

"And then he spent five hours talking to you? Hermione, I doubt all his and Cho's conversations add up to even half that time."

"He likes Cho, Ginny, so don't try and turn this into something it's not."

Ginny was about to respond but stopped, her mouth slightly ajar with unformed words as she looked up over Hermione's shoulder.

"I need to talk to you after dinner."

Hermione looked up to see Harry standing above her. She glanced over at the Hufflepuff table and saw Cedric sitting down amongst his friends.

"What did he want?" she asked.

"I'll tell you later."

When Hermione got up from the table, unable to finish her turkey sandwich, Harry got up instantly and walked with her out of the great hall.

Hermione frowned as she saw Cedric watching them. Her frown deepened as she saw him glance towards Viktor, who was also watching her and Harry leave the great hall, his eyebrows drawn together in a scowl.

* * *


	3. Surveillance

**A/N:** Officially in love with Cedric - this may end up being long(ish). Why must that boy be so damn wonderful? He didn't get nearly enough coverage in Goblet of Fire so I'm determined to make up for it now. Anyway, basically, this is now officially going to be my new project, I just need to wrap up my other one so there won't be another update for a couple of days, but I'm sure you'll all cope. Thanks for the lovely reviews! Let me know what you think of this chapter =]

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**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

"What did he say?" Hermione asked quietly as they passed a bunch of Ravenclaws on the stairs.

"He said to look out for you, especially after meal times and stuff. He told me about Krum," Harry's jaw was set as they turned down one of the corridors.

"Oh," she replied simply.

"He said Krum hurt you."

"Barely."

"He still hurt you though."

"So you're going to follow me around now?" Hermione asked, steering the topic away from her hardly damaged wrist.

Harry nodded.

"Oh I wish he hadn't told you. You've got enough on your plate as it is without worrying about me."

"No. I'm glad he told me. I didn't know you two were friends though," he didn't sound angry, like she knew Ron would have. Just curious.

"Well, we've just been talking recently," Hermione said airily, brushing it off as no big deal.

"I can see that. You were talking to him for _all that time_ this afternoon?"

"Yeah," Hermione admitted, "he's not as stupid as you think, you know."

Harry made an incoherent noise that sounded something like grudging agreement.

"From the sound of it Cho gets jealous really easily," Hermione offered, trying to make him feel less disappointed that Cho had rejected him. Unfortunately it had the opposite effect.

"Really? What, is Cedric getting sick of her?"

Hermione sighed. "No, Harry. I'm just saying she's not as perfect as you think she is, so just...I dunno, try not to be too disappointed."

"Right," Harry said glumly. "Well thanks for that Hermione, that was a massive help."

Hermione smiled apologetically at his sarcastic response. "Sorry," she said. "I thought it might make you feel better to know she's got a few faults, that's all."

"It'd make me feel better to know that Cedric's got a few faults actually."

Hermione sighed. "Well he eats éclairs like an absolute beast."

Harry grimaced, "I noticed."

"And he's ever so sure of himself."

"Again, I noticed," he paused, waiting for Hermione to continue. "But apart from that he's really rather nice?" he asked mockingly.

"I'm not one to turn my nose up at anybody who sends Viktor on his way when he's doing his impression of an insufferable troll."

"Right," Harry replied, smiling slightly, "I'll let Ron know. He's been dying to hex Krum since the ball."

"_Don't you dare!_"

Harry laughed loudly.

* * *

She noticed the surveillance almost immediately. Harry had clearly informed Ginny and Neville of the situation, and between the three of them, they made sure that Hermione was never alone when she left the security of the Gryffindor common room. He had (thankfully) refrained from telling Ron, who would most likely start hexing Krum in the middle of the great hall if he found out what had happened. She supposed she should feel thankful to have such good friends, but as patient as she tried to be, she couldn't help but feel like slapping them whenever one of them said 'Oh! I'll come with you!' as soon as she announced she was going somewhere.

Cedric was slightly better than the others. He would keep an eye on Viktor at meal times, and strangely, although not unpleasantly, he would be in the library whenever Hermione set foot in there, apparently engrossed in a book or homework. She pretended not to notice his casual glances every five minutes as she did her homework.

Viktor had not given up trying to talk to her. He approached her table in the library one day but Cedric seemed to appear out of nowhere, asking Hermione if she knew whether if Doxies were allergic to gurdyroots or asperaline. He shook his head minutely at Krum, who huffed and left the library, a gaggle of girls following along behind him.

Cedric sat down opposite her.

"Why doesn't he just pick one of his fan club and be done with it?" Hermione growled, her ink blotting over her page as she tried to continue with her essay. She threw her quill down angrily.

Cedric reached forward, wand out, and soaked the ink up off of her page.

"Thanks," she said quietly. She sighed.

"You're a challenge to him, Hermione," Cedric explained. "It's really quite alluring when a girl plays hard to get. Makes it even sweeter when you get her."

"I am _not_ playing hard to get," Hermione told him tersely.

"I know that. Krum doesn't though. It's the only explanation. Of course it couldn't be anything to do with the fact that he's a complete and utter troll with the manners and charm of a flobberworm -"

Hermione laughed more loudly than she'd intended and earned herself a dirty look from Madam Pince. Cedric pressed a finger to his lips and shushed her.

"He's not impressed with me, I can tell you. You should see some of the looks he gives me at dinner," Cedric shook his head in disbelief. "If looks could kill...well, I'll be dead before the year's out, I can assure you."

"Don't say that!" Hermione snapped. "Not when you've still got two tasks to go. What if it's worse than dragons?" she felt the colour drain from her face as she considered all possibilities for the upcoming tasks.

"Sorry," Cedric said genuinely. "The next task isn't worse than dragons though, don't worry. Hasn't Harry told you?"

"Told me what?"

"I gave him a hint for the egg," Cedric told her. "On Christmas eve, after the ball. Maybe he hasn't had time to -"

Hermione jumped up from the table. "I'll see you later," she said quickly, gathering her things and putting them in her bag.

"You're not going back to the common room on your own, not when Krum was only here five minutes ago."

"Cedric..."

He didn't reply, just stood up and waved his wand, his bag and books flying into his arms.

"Viktor doesn't even know where the Gryffindor common room is," Hermione reasoned. There's -"

"There's _every_ need, Hermione. He might follow you. You know they don't just teach Charms at Durmstrang..."

"You're making this more serious than it actually is, you know. Maybe I should just talk to him."

"Hermione, you know what he wants, why give him the time of day? Besides, if he hasn't got the message by now, you running to him to have a little chat won't make things any clearer."

They left the library and Hermione led the way towards Gryffindor tower as Cedric followed, not bothering to fill the silence with inane chatter like some people would have. They bumped into Ginny after a little while, who smiled shyly at Cedric.

"Hello Ginny," Cedric said kindly, giving her with a soft smile. His voice dropped slightly in volume, "I trust you can accompany Hermione back to the common room? If it's not too much trouble, that is."

Ginny blushed. "No trouble at all," she managed to squeak out.

"Cedric don't be awful to her."

"I wasn't aware that I was being awful to her. I'm not being awful to you, am I Ginny? If I am I sincerely apologise."

Ginny merely giggled.

"Pull yourself together Ginny. It's only a smile and a bit of whispering."

"Hermione stop ruining it for everyone. Just because you're immune it doesn't mean you have to take away everyone else's fun. I'll see you around, okay Ginny?" he touched Ginny's shoulder lightly and grinned at Hermione as Ginny's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "I find a bit of physical contact always sets the pulse racing too," he added, winking at Hermione.

Ginny stood frozen as Cedric walked away. Finally she spoke. "Cedric Diggory just _touched_ me. Oh Merlin, _Cedric Diggory_! Touched _me_!"

"And just so you know you turned as red as a tomato."

Ginny looked horrified. "Did I? Oh no! D'you think he noticed?"

"It hardly matters, he was only messing around. Just trying to prove a point."

"What point?"

"That you're just as shallow and easily affected as the rest of the girls in this school."

Ginny gasped. "That's why he likes you!" she said excitedly. "Because you're so bloody uptight that he actually needs to try hard!"

Hermione rolled her eyes and started walking towards the common room. Ginny trotted along beside her, twittering on about Cedric, wondering aloud how long it would be before he ditched Cho.

"If he ditches Cho that leaves her free for Harry."

Ginny scowled at this and stayed quiet.

* * *

"Cedric gave you a hint. What was it?" Hermione demanded as she cornered Harry in the common room.

"What?" Harry asked, shocked by the sudden confrontation.

"Cedric gave you a clue about the egg. What was it?" Hermione repeated firmly.

"Oh..." Harry said, "he told you about that?"

"He assumed I knew what the second task was because you'd told me about the egg. He was trying to be helpful Harry, stop being a jealous git and tell me what he said!"

"It was just some guff about having a bath with it. He even gave me the password to the prefect's bathroom."

"Get the egg," Hermione ordered. "And you'd better bring the cloak as well."

"You're not serious are you? He was just messing about!"

"He wasn't. He genuinely thought you'd worked it out by now. He wouldn't lie to me."

"Wouldn't he?"

"No, he's not like that."

Harry muttered something that Hermione didn't quite catch as he stomped up the stairs.

* * *

"Well? What did it say?"

Harry gasped for breath and wiped his sopping wet hair out of his face. "Something about not speaking above the ground...I...hang on," he ducked under the water again, and Hermione waited from him to surface.

"...while you're searching, ponder this, we've taken what you'll sorely miss. An hour long you'll have to look, to recover what we took. But past an hour the prospect's black. Too late, it's gone, it won't come back." It had taken five goes for Harry to memorise the song completely so he was able to recite it back to Hermione.

"So they're going to take something of yours and put it in the lake and you've got to get it?"

"But I've only got an hour."

"That's plenty of time," Hermione said. "You'll have to practice swimming, you might as well come here a couple of times a week. It's not great, but it's warmer than the lake."

"And what about holding my breath for all that time?"

"Well that might be a slight problem," Hermione conceded.

Harry snorted. "A slight problem. I like that."

* * *

"How's Cedric?"

Hermione did not look up from her arithmancy homework. "Fine. Why don't you pluck up the courage and ask him yourself in future, rather than bugging me?"

"Has he declared his undying love for you yet?"

"Yeah, every day."

"Hermione, be serious. This is important!"

"Ginny! Can't you just drop it? We're friends. Just like you and Colin are friends. Or does Colin frequently declare his undying love for you?"

"Well actually..."

Hermione sighed. "I'm going to the library. _Don't_ follow me."

"But Cedric said -"

"I don't _care_ what Cedric said. I'm going. I don't need you to escort me around the castle. Frankly I'll take Viktor over your inane questions."

Ginny scowled before her face brightened. "Is Cedric going to be in the library?"

"I don't know."

The answer would, of course, be yes.

* * *

"You _have_ to talk to Ginny," Hermione said, her arrival announced by the loud crash of her bag on the rickety library table at which Cedric was working.

"Do I?" he asked, not looking up from his essay.

"Yes," Hermione replied, sitting down. "She's driving me mental."

"I thought you already _were_ mental."

"Mental-er, then," Hermione compromised.

Cedric grinned and looked up. "What's she doing?"

"She thinks -" Hermione stopped and wondered how best to word what was about to come next, "Well, she keeps badgering me because -"

"I don't like your derogatory use of the word badgering. There is nothing wrong with badgers," Cedric interrupted, a mock frown resting on his brow.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "She keeps _bothering_ me because she thinks – she thinks..."

"She thinks...?" Cedric prompted.

"She thinks you fancy me," Hermione said in a rush, trying to keep a straight face. "She keeps blabbering on and _on_, it's ridiculous. Tell her she's wrong."

"What if she's right?" Cedric asked mildly.

"She's not," Hermione told him, with a tone that suggested that Cedric had offered up some impossible scenario.

"Okay. I'll talk to her."

"Don't smile at her. And _don't_ touch her. She was going on about it for _ages_."

Cedric grinned. "You see why I find it shocking when girls reject me?"

"I find it shocking that Ginny, someone who I thought had at least a few braincells, was so easily distracted by your pathetic attempts."

"Ouch," Cedric replied, wincing at her insult. "Pathetic?" he grimaced, "that's a painful blow to the old ego. However will he survive?"

"I'm sure he'll make it through. He always seems to."

Cedric grinned and Hermione took a fresh roll of parchment out of her bag.

"D'you mind if I work here?"

"Be my guest," he said, gesturing towards all the empty space at their table. "I'll try not to fancy you, but it'll be hard when you're so close," he sniggered and Hermione had an urge to kick him under the table.

She settled for an "oh be quiet" instead.

* * *


	4. The Poking Pastor

**A/N:** Cedric is my new fictional boyfriend. Officially. Bye bye Tom. Anyway, thanks for your reviews, they make me squee like mad. =D Let me know what you think of this chapter, it's one of my favourites so far. I love a giggly Ginny.

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

The following day Ginny returned to the common room after dinner red faced and giggly.

"What's up with you?" Ron asked.

Harry glanced knowingly at Hermione. Hermione had told him what she had asked of Cedric, and evidently Cedric had done the job rather quickly. Hermione rather suspected that he _had_ smiled at Ginny though, despite Hermione telling him not to.

Ginny sighed and sat down on the sofa between Harry and Hermione. Ron shook his head and returned to his chess game. "That was a stupid move Neville," he said, assessing the board.

"He touched me again..." Ginny told Hermione dreamily.

Harry sat up straight. "What?"

"Cedric touched her shoulder the other day and it was the best moment of her life," Hermione explained, a small smile forming on her face.

"Oh," Harry said blankly, not _quite_ understanding Cedric's effect on Ginny.

"That moment got knocked off the top spot by what happened just now," Ginny sighed, the redness slowly dissipating from her cheeks.

"What did he say?"

"Er..."

"He _did_ speak to you, didn't he?" Hermione asked, frowning slightly.

"Well, yeah, I just...I wasn't really concentrating on what he was saying."

"Ginny!" Hermione said exasperatedly.

"What?" Ginny replied defensively. "Just because you're totally immune to him it doesn't mean the rest of us are!"

"Do you remember the basic gist of what he said?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"I remember one bit," Ginny said, "because he was tucking my hair behind my ear as he said it and I will remember every single detail of that moment for the rest of my life."

Hermione rolled her eyes and made a mental note to have a word with Cedric later.

"He said," Ginny continued, "he said 'you won't bother Hermione anymore, will you?' and then I said I wouldn't, and he asked me if I promised and I said yes and then he said I was a good girl and he squeezed my shoulder and said goodbye. It was _amazing_."

"Well at least you remember that bit. And you better keep to your promise or I'll tell him to never talk to you ever again," Hermione wondered whether that had been too low a blow. It was blackmail after all, but even so, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Fine," Ginny said, folding her arms across her chest, "but only because Cedric made me promise."

Harry and Hermione shared a grin.

* * *

"What happened to no smiling and no touching?"

"I just said I'd speak to her," Cedric replied as he perused the wizard fiction shelves. "I didn't say I wouldn't smile at her, or touch her."

Hermione huffed.

"Oh come on, it made her happy, didn't it?" Cedric grinned at Hermione before turning his attention back to the shelves. "Besides, I feel sorry for her. She lives with Fred and George, what a _nightmare_. I picked up one of their fake wands in transfiguration the other day."

Hermione laughed. "You're terrible. You keep that up and she won't be able to function at all. She could barely say anything when she came back. Just chattered on about how amazing you are."

"Good to know," Cedric replied with a smirk. He pulled a book from the shelf. "Have you read this? People keep telling me it's really good but I don't really see the appeal..." he scanned the blurb on the back of the book and grimaced.

"It's...I dunno. It's a bit gushy. All the romance is a bit much. It's good, I like it, but I got a bit bored with the 'oh I love you more than anything else in the world' stuff."

Cedric replaced the book on the shelf.

"This is good," Hermione told him, leaning down to pull out a book from the lowest shelf. "It's one of those books that makes you think, rather than just being a nice little story."

Cedric took the book from her and flicked through the pages. "Wow," he said, stopping on the last page. "You must really like it. You've taken this book out...fourteen times in the last eighteen months."

Hermione blushed slightly. "It's good," she explained lamely.

"I'll take your word for it," he smiled but the smile dropped as his eyes drifted over her shoulder, beyond the fiction shelves.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Let's go," Cedric said, taking her by the shoulder and steering her through the shelves to the front desk.

"I need to get a book out for my transfiguration homework," Hermione told him, glancing towards Viktor and shuddering when she saw the dark look on his face.

"I'll tell you what you need to know. I'm not hanging around here while he's here and neither are you. I can't believe he's brought _back up_."

"What?" Hermione asked quietly as Cedric handed his book to Madam Pince so she could check it out.

"Look around. How many red robes do you see?"

Hermione did as she was told and saw a Durmstrang student on practically every table, a book open in front of each of them, though none of them seemed to be reading.

"Oh," she said quietly.

Madam Pince handed the book back to Cedric.

"Yeah," Cedric said, taking her by the arm and leading her from the library.

They walked hurriedly down the stairs and Cedric found an empty classroom. "In here," he said, holding the door open for her. Hermione complied and entered the classroom. "What's your essay about?" he asked, sitting down in an empty chair.

"Permanent switching spells," she told him. "I can always do it tomorrow, you don't have to -"

"I don't mind. I can read while you write. I'm getting a bit sick of the common room actually. They won't stop banging on about the tournament. And I'm fed up of them talking rubbish about Harry and expecting me to join in."

Hermione sighed. "I wish he'd get a school year when someone doesn't want to kill him."

"Yeah, why can't someone be after Malfoy for a change? Or even better, Warrington."

"Because Malfoy's daddy is a death eater with lots of nice gold to give to lots of nice causes when he wants to get himself out of a pickle," Hermione explained in a child like voice laced with anger.

Cedric half smiled. "Right. Switching spells, let's get this over and done with."

Hermione had her quill poised, ready to take notes on what he said.

* * *

"Why did he kill Merca?" Cedric asked indignantly, slamming the book down on the table.

"Keep reading!" Hermione told him for the seventh time, her hand steadily moving across the page as she started on her conclusion.

"I _liked_ Merca! Merca was funny!"

"Cedric," Hermione began, "I _will_ hex you if you don't stop asking me questions every five minutes."

"Will I find out soon?" he asked.

"No. You won't find out until the end."

Cedric scowled and started flipping towards the back of the book.

"_Accio_!" the book flew into Hermione's hand. "Don't you dare read the ending before you're supposed to," she told him fiercely. "It'll ruin it. Now stop all this nonsense and _read_."

Cedric took the book back from Hermione and returned to his page.

Not even two minutes passed before he spoke again. "Is Silas going to -"

"Cedric!" Hermione slammed her quill onto the desk. "Let me finish my essay, _please_."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly.

Once Hermione had finished, she read her essay through and although pleased, she still felt odd, not having had the information (which did sound accurate) confirmed by a book.

"I need to go," she said at last, having watched him read for the last couple of minutes.

"Okay," he murmured. "Just let me finish this chapter."

"How long have you got left?"

"Two pages."

"Okay."

* * *

Cedric's idea of walking Hermione back to Gryffindor tower seemed to be confused with a walk to the kitchens. He tickled the pear and opened the portrait, standing aside so Hermione couldn't enter before him.

"Can we have a couple of éclairs please?" he asked the nearest house elf politely.

"Of course, sir!" the house elf squeaked, and trotted away.

"Oh don't tell me you're going to be disgusting again..."

"Please tell me _you're _ going to be disgusting this time. Be inventive, for Merlin's sake."

Hermione sighed and watched as two éclairs were brought to them on a silver tray.

"You first," Cedric said.

"Do you get some perverse sort of pleasure from this?" Hermione asked as she picked up the éclair and studied it from several angles.

"Erm...yes," Cedric replied, grinning. "Go on then, eat it!"

Hermione gave in.

* * *

"Ah, Miss Granger, a word if you don't mind? Hurry along Weasley or you'll be late for Charms."

Ron tutted and continued down the corridor, leaving Hermione at Professor McGonagall's classroom. Hermione walked inside and noticed that it was the sixth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. They were copying some notes down from the board.

Cedric looked up and flashed a grin at her. Hermione gave him a small smile.

"I'd like to talk to you about your homework," Professor McGonagall said.

Hermione's stomach dropped. Was something wrong? Did McGonagall know it hadn't been all her own work? She noticed Cedric frown slightly, obviously eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Is there something wrong with it, Professor? I can do it again if you -"

"Wrong with it?" McGonagall asked in a shocked voice, "not at all, Miss Granger. I was merely surprised by how advanced it was. The information you put in isn't understood by half of my sixth years."

Hermione tried to ignore Cedric's smug grin. "Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. How did you come across this information?"

"The library," Hermione responded automatically. "I was just browsing and I came across the right source."

"Very impressive Miss Granger. Anyway, off you go to Charms, send my apologies to Professor Flitwick."

Hermione nodded.

"Mr Diggory! Just because you're a triwizard champion it does _not_ mean you can read books under the desk in my lesson!"

Hermione whirled around as the book flew out from under Cedric's desk and into McGonagall's hands. "Ah yes, _The Poking Pastor, _I've wanted to read this for a while but Miss Granger always seems to have it in her possession."

Hermione blushed.

"I'll be confiscating this, Diggory."

"For how long?" Cedric asked, looking terrified.

"Until I've read it myself," McGonagall replied.

"No you can't! Please Professor! I promise I won't read it in your lesson again, you can't take it away from me!"

"Shouldn't you be preparing for the second task? It's only a week away. I can't see how award winning fiction can help you withthat."

"_Please_ Professor. I'll die if you don't let me finish it. I've only got a couple of chapters to go! I promise I'll give it to you straight after so you can read it."

"Depending on how satisfactory your behaviour is in the rest of the lesson, I will consider returning it to you."

Hermione held back a grin and turned to leave.

"Hermione, did Merca know that Silas -"

"Don't make me hex you, Cedric, I swear, if you ask me one more question about that stupidly wonderful book..." Hermione told him through gritted teeth.

"There will be no hexing in _this_ class Miss Granger. Diggory, stop badgering her and let her go to Charms."

Cedric scowled and returned to his work.

* * *

"Hermione!"

She turned round at the sound of her own name and saw Cedric standing with Cho in the courtyard, huddled under an archway to stay out of the rain. Cedric waved her over.

"If you're going to ask me about that book..." Hermione started as she reached him.

"I finished it!" he replied excitedly. "I can't believe I _liked _Merca! I feel so stupid! It seems so obvious now when I look back. I was looking through it last night and some of the things he said were so blatantly obvious when you look at them in hindsight."

"So you enjoyed it then?"

"Definitely! I'm reading it again!" his smile was broad and Hermione could almost see why Ginny was a hopeless wreck around him.

"I thought McGonagall wanted it?" she asked.

"Yeah well, you won't mention anything, will you? I just need to read it again so I can look at it differently. I swear, every time someone talks to me from now on I'm _not_ going to take it at face value."

"Yeah," Hermione said with a smile, "it made me a bit paranoid too. You'll get over it though, it'll be fine."

The bell rung. "What lesson have you got now?" Cedric asked.

"Herbology," Hermione replied with a grimace. "I know I'm going to slip over on the mud, I just know it. I wish I'd actually read that bit about gripping charms in _Witch Weekly_..."

"You read _Witch Weekly_?" Cedric asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I enjoy the crossword," Hermione defensively. "I couldn't care less about beauty charms."

"What you don't think you need them?" Cedric asked, grinning slyly.

"You're saying I do?" Hermione replied in mock offence.

Cedric merely smiled. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione caught Cho's death glare.

"I'd better get to Herbology," she said, starting to walk towards the greenhouses.

"Don't fall over!" Cedric called after her.

As Hermione turned round to respond she saw Cho shove Cedric's chest angrily and stalk off.

Cedric followed, calling after her.

* * *


	5. Fulfilling Fantasies

**A/N:** You're all very wonderful for submitting such lovely reviews, they make me all giddy and squeeful. Thank you to those who have hopped over to this story from Restricted, it means a lot, so big fat internet cookies for you! Hope you enjoy this chapter, the next one should be up tomorrow. Let me know what you think =]

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

"Cho doesn't look pleased, does she?" Ginny commented as they passed her in the corridor.

Hermione ignored Cho's glare, keeping her eyes focussed on the way ahead, determined not to acknowledge her petty jealousy.

"She's just being silly," Hermione replied, once Cho was out of earshot. "Apparently Cedric isn't allowed to converse with other females. With the fuss she's been making you'd have thought he'd proposed to me or something..."

"And why exactly _is_ she angry? You never said."

"Because Cedric liked the book that I recommended to him and decided to talk about it after he'd finished it. Infidelity at its worst, don't you think?" Hermione didn't bother to hide her frustration with Cho. She knew she had done nothing wrong and didn't appreciate being made to feel like she had by anyone.

Ginny laughed. "Maybe he'll dump her and start a book club with you."

Hermione gave Ginny a withering look and didn't bother to reply.

The worst thing about Cho's anger was that Hermione barely saw Cedric. This meant that Hermione was usually accompanied to the library by Ginny (who _was_ getting less annoying, Hermione had to admit, but was still rather obsessed with Cedric) or Neville, who didn't really understand Hermione's desire to work in silence. Harry was in the library quite often, hidden away among the shelves, trying to find some way he could stay alive underwater for at least an hour but his search had turned up no useful information.

The only contact she had with Cedric was a brief apologetic smile from him at mealtimes, and notes slipped into her pocket when he passed her in the corridor. Mostly these just asked whether Krum had given her any trouble, but they nearly always had some quirky little quote from _The Poking Pastor_ written at the bottom in Cedric's neat flowing script.

Hermione made sure that Ginny never laid eyes on them. The poor girl would probably have a heart attack.

* * *

"I want to talk to you."

Hermione sighed. Lately, a lot of people had wanted to talk to her, but unfortunately they weren't people that _she_ particularly wanted to talk to. "What do you want, Cho?" she asked as she turned around.

"I want you to stay away from Cedric," Cho said in what Hermione thought was supposed to be a dangerous tone, but actually sounded rather sulky. "I've heard about you two getting cosy in the library and I don't like it! Keep your hands off of him!"

"Cho, I haven't touched him. I don't know what you've been hearing but I just recommended a good book."

"Well go and recommend books to Viktor Krum instead!" Cho replied angrily, her voice cracking slightly. "Cedric's mine!"

"Cho, I'm not trying to take Cedric away from you," Hermione said gently. "I'm not, I swear. Besides, you don't need to worry, it's obvious how much he likes you."

_Obvious in the way that he hasn't ditched you yet for being so childish and possessive. _Hermione thought.

Cho said nothing, though she seemed mollified. After a moment she spoke. "Well stay away from him."

"Whatever you say, Cho," Hermione sighed. "Do you mind? I'm rather tired and I'd like to get back to my common room now."

Cho huffed once more and stalked off.

* * *

"You got my note then?" Cedric offered the plate of éclairs to Hermione and she took one, biting the end off as she sat down on the steps in the kitchen. "I was starting to think you hadn't read it."

"Sorry, I had to wait for the twins to clear out of the common room. They'd probably follow me if they knew I was sneaking out."

"I heard that Cho gave you a talking to," Cedric said, taking a bite of his own éclair. It seemed he had dispensed with his disgusting eating habits for now.

"It was a bit pathetic if I'm honest. If she wanted to scare me away she didn't do a very good job."

Cedric laughed. "Good enough that we've been reduced to meeting in the kitchens in the dead of night."

"That's because of _your_ fear, not _mine_."

"Cho can be vicious," he said through a mouthful of cream.

Hermione grimaced.

"Sorry," he said, grinning at her after he had swallowed his mouthful.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What d'you mean, vicious?"

"She fights dirty," Cedric explained. "I thought it was funny up until now. It's not funny now I'm in trouble."

"What's she done to you?"

"Nothing yet," Cedric said with a frown. "But she likes to gossip, and truth is of little importance to her, if you know what I mean."

"What, she's going to spread rumours that...I dunno...you've got an unnatural liking for Puffskeins?"

Cedric grinned. "Worse, probably."

"That you're a complete pervert when it comes to cream cakes?"

"She doesn't know that. Only you know that," Cedric replied, picking up the plate and offering another éclair to Hermione. "Go on, be inventive, please."

"You worry me, you know," Hermione told him, taking one of the éclairs.

Cedric smiled that disarming grin of his that would have sent Ginny into a giggling fit. "Please Hermione," he said, "I'm awfully nervous about the second task, it's only a few days away. It'll make me feel so much better if -"

"You're a very bad actor, Cedric. Not even Crabbe and Goyle could be convinced by that performance."

"Oh just do it," he said, his mock nervousness disappearing as he waved his hand.

Hermione thought that she might indulge him, just this once.

* * *

"Wow..."

"Yeah..."

"That was...incredible."

"I can't believe I did that."

"Do it again."

"No!"

"Please!"

Hermione shook her head.

"Hermione, you just fulfilled my wildest pastry-based fantasy."

Hermione's jaw dropped and Cedric smiled a little, biting his lip.

"At least it wasn't my wildest fantasy full stop," he said, slightly apologetically.

"Who has fantasies about éclairs?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows drawn together in a concerned frown.

"I do," Cedric replied.

"You're odd."

"You're the first person to tell me that. Well, first girl, anyway."

"Probably because I'm not affected by a smile and a bit of whispering. And you said I'm the only one who knows about your éclair addiction."

"You're sure you're completely unaffected?"

"Yeah," Hermione replied absently, frowning into her hands as she considered which essays she could put off so she could try to help Harry find a way to live through the second task. When she looked back at him he was a lot closer. "Is this you testing your abilities again?"

"I don't know," Cedric replied quietly.

Hermione noticed that his eyelashes were thicker than the average boy's. She didn't know why she noticed this in particular, but notice it she did.

Cedric looked away and Hermione let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"Bedtime, I think," Cedric said. "Come on, I'll walk you back."

* * *

"I wonder what McGonagall wants," Ron mused as they strode along the corridor. The faster they reached Professor McGonagall's office, the faster they could leave and return to help Harry.

"I don't care just as long as she gets to the point quickly. Although I can't see that we're going to find anything in the library now if we haven't found anything in the last few weeks. I don't know what he's going to do. Maybe it's best if he can't do it. Maybe he should drop out of the tournament anyway."

"He _can't_ drop out, Hermione. Besides, Harry's faced You-Know-Who, he's not about to be put of by a few merpeople. Harry'll think of something, he always does."

"Marietta saw you talking to her in the corridor today! This _is_ about her, Cedric, I know it is!"

Hermione stopped abruptly.

"It's got nothing to do with her, Cho. I promise."

"What do you even see in her? She's not even pretty! She's just a stupid know it all!" Cho was crying as she threw the insults, unaware that Hermione was just around the corner, wondering how the word 'stupid' could precede the phrase 'know it all'.

"There's nothing going on, Cho, but she's still my friend and I won't have you talk about her like that."

"Oh yes! I forgot you think Hermione doesn't need beauty charms! Did you notice she got her teeth shrunk? I don't suppose you even noticed her before, the stupid great rabitty -"

"Oi!" Ron bellowed, and the arguing came to an abrupt halt. Ron started striding forward as two people appeared round the corner.

Hermione wanted to tell Ron to leave it but the words wouldn't come. She looked at Cedric and he mouthed a 'sorry' at her.

"Who d'you think you are talking about Hermione like that?" Ron demanded as he approached Cho. "She hasn't been messing around with your pretty boy, so stop being a stupid cry baby and blaming her because he's ditching you! She's with Krum, anyway, and she's not the sort of girl to have more than one bloke on the go. Although I've heard that Terry Boot and Andy Lampert aren't too happy with _you_ after what happened last year."

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. When in arguments, Ron always faired very badly, but it seemed he had finally got the hang of it. Granted he had no idea that Hermione hadn't even spoken to Krum for almost two months but neither did Cho so it hardly mattered.

"Weasley," Cedric said before Ron could unleash another torrent of abuse on Cho, "leave it, yeah? Cho, I think you should apologise to Hermione."

"_What_?" Cho snapped. "How can you take her side?"

"Side? There are no sides! You just said some really horrible things about her when she's done nothing wrong. It's only polite that you apologise."

"She's taken you away from me!" Cho wailed.

Cedric breathed deeply, his patience clearly struggling to deal with Cho's behaviour. "Do you honestly think I would lie to you? Cheat on you?"

"No," Cho replied sulkily. "But the fact still remains that -"

"Marietta saw us talking? Cho, I spoke to Professor Sprout today but that doesn't mean -" he broke off and grimaced at the thought.

Cho wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Cedric," she said.

"It's not me you should be apologising to."

Cho struggled with herself for a moment before swallowing her pride. "I'm sorry for what I said, Hermione."

"That's quite all right, Cho," Hermione replied, wanting the whole situation to disappear and never surface.

Ron turned around so he was facing her. 'Quite all right?' he mouthed in disbelief.

Hermione gave him a look that said 'leave it' and he huffed indignantly, still not pleased.

Cho put her arms around Cedric's waist and hugged him. Cedric's stance stiffened.

"Cho...point still stands, you know."

"You're still breaking up with me?" she screeched, pulling herself away from him, jaw hanging low as she gaped at him, hardly daring to believe that he was actually breaking up with her properly.

"Come on," Hermione said as she hurried forward to Ron. "We need to get to Professor McGonagall's office."

Ron nodded and they hurried down the corridor, desperate to get out of earshot of Cho's banshee-like screeching.

"D'you know, I almost feel sorry for the pretty boy. She's got one hell of a pair of lungs on her, that one," Ron said.

Hermione smiled. "Thanks for standing up for me."

"It's what friends do, isn't it?"

Hermione smiled, remembering exactly why Ron was one of her best friends.

* * *

"You will both be placed into a deep sleep, you won't be in any danger and you'll both wake up as soon as you break through the surface of the water," McGonagall informed them.

"You're going to do it _now_?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, Granger, is that a problem?" McGonagall asked.

Hermione looked towards Ron. What could they do to try and get out of it?

"Professor I've got a phobia of deep water, I don't think -"

"Miss Granger, you'll be perfectly safe. Now let's have no more of this nonsense. Professor Dumbledore is waiting down by the lake."

"Harry's waiting for us in the library," Ron said, grasping at straws.

"Well he'll have to carry on waiting. I'm sorry Weasley, I can't allow you to go back."

Hermione sighed and then noticed a rather worn and dog eared paperback sitting on McGonagall's desk. "You got it off of him then, Professor?" Hermione asked, nodding towards _The Poking Pastor_.

Professor McGonagall's mouth curved into a thin smile. "Yes, I did, after several protests, I might add." she paused thoughtfully. "I don't like Merca. He seems to make jokes too often."

"Blimey," said Ron, "a sense of humour? We can't have that, can we Professor?"

Professor McGonagall frowned at Ron. "Mr Weasley, I suggest you go down to the lake before I put you in detention for speaking out of turn," the thin smile was still present on her lips.

Ron grinned and ducked out of the door. Hermione smiled at Professor McGonagall before following.

"I'll be checking to make sure you don't go back to the library," McGonagall called after them.

"Damn," Ron whispered. "That's that plan scuppered."

* * *


	6. Sorely Missed

**A/N:** I was incredibly pleased with the response to last chapter, so thank you all for that. Look out for another Cedric based fic which will be coming shortly (not for a week or so, but that's still deemed 'shortly' in my books). Basically his dealings with Ginny in this fic have inspired me rather a lot but I shall say no more. Anyway, enjoy this chapter, let me know what you think, and I hope to update again tomorrow.

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

Upon breaking the surface of the water, the first thing Hermione did was a great deal of coughing while she mentally complained (unable to actually voice her thoughts due to choking) about how cold she was.

"You all right?"

Hermione looked up at Cedric, who was soaking wet and looked thoroughly worn out. She nodded and they began swimming to the edge of the lake.

"Sorry about last night," he said as he pulled her up the bank to where Madam Pomfrey was waiting with thick towels, her wand poised and ready to cast several drying charms. "She was really upset. She's nasty when she's upset. She wants to blame people."

"It's okay," Hermione replied as a towel was placed around her shoulders.

"I dread to think what she's going to say now she's seen that you were my 'treasure'," Cedric said as he scanned the crowd for Cho. "She'll probably kill me."

"Mr Diggory," Dumbledore had approached.

"Yes sir?" Cedric asked.

"Well done on returning first, but I'm rather concerned that you may not have collected the person intended for you. Did you not see Miss Chang at the bottom of the lake?"

Cedric's eyes widened.

"He should be disqualified!" Karkaroff said, storming over, "he has stolen my champion's object!"

"Igor, Miss Granger is not an object, she is a person," Dumbledore reminded Karkaroff gently.

"Professor, I just assumed Hermione was there for me. Cho and I...well, we're no longer together. Hermione's a very good friend of mine so I just thought..."

"Not to worry, Mr Diggory, you still collected what you would _sorely miss_, your points aren't in jeopardy."

Cedric breathed a sigh of relief. "Sir!" he added, just as Dumbledore was about to turn away. "Isn't Harry back yet? He was already down there when I got there."

Dumbledore frowned. "No, he's not back yet. I'm sure he'll return shortly. Now, I do believe there is a nice mug of cocoa waiting for you both in the tent," he glanced over to the marquee where Madam Pomfrey was waiting impatiently for the headmaster to finish his conversation.

* * *

"Well at least _you_ rescued me."

Cedric choked on his cocoa at the sound of Cho's voice.

"I think they made a mistake with some of the treasures," Viktor's deep voice was recognisable. "Herm-own-ninny was supposed to be there for me, but she does not vish to see me anymore."

"Really? Why not?" the suspicion was evident in Cho's voice. She had been told just the previous evening that Hermione was seeing Krum, and yet here Krum was, telling her quite the opposite.

"Help," Cedric murmured quietly to Hermione as Krum and Cho approached the tent.

"No chance," Hermione whispered back.

"I'm afraid I behaved rather badly at the ball and my apology vasn't up to standard. I have been trying to talk vith her since but she has been surrounded at all times by friends who do not think I deserve a second chance."

"What friends?" Cho asked.

"Potter, the small red haired girl. She is really very annoying for somebody so tiny."

"Anyone else?" she persisted.

"A few people. It does not matter now. She has made it clear she vishes she has nothing to do with me."

They entered the tent and Hermione prepared herself for the torrent of abuse that would surely come her way. Cho stopped in front of Cedric.

"What have you got to say for yourself?" she demanded.

"I swear I didn't see you down there," Cedric rushed, "Harry was down there, I think he must have been blocking my view, and it was so _murky_. I just assumed Hermione was meant for me because we're friends. I thought she wouldn't be there for Krum because they're not together anymore."

"And whose fault is that?" Krum demanded.

"Your own," Cedric replied firmly. "The only reason we've all been looking out for her is because of the disgusting way you treated her on the stairs at Christmas. You don't think it's unreasonable that we want to keep her away from someone who behaves like that, surely?"

"Herm-own-ninny, I am very sorry for the vay I behaved," he paused and sighed, "I am afraid I am rather used to getting vat I vant and I did not like it ven I vas refused. I vish for us to be friends."

Hermione paused, biting her lip, "okay," she said. "Apology accepted."

Krum smiled slightly and ducked out of the tent. Cho watched him leave.

"So I was right," she said when her attention had turned back to Cedric. "It was about Hermione."

Hermione frowned. She didn't like people acting as though she wasn't there while they talked about her.

"No, Cho, it wasn't."

"Then what was it?" she didn't raise her voice, something which Hermione found surprising.

Hermione hopped down from the hospital bed and squelched her way outside as Cedric begun his explanation in a gentle tone.

"I've got a lot on my plate this year, Cho. I really haven't got enough time to give you the attention you deserve, what with the tournament and I've still got to study for my NEWTs -"

"You don't have exams this year, you're exempt..."

"Harry's back!" Ginny had appeared in front of Hermione, causing her to jump. "You'll never guess what he's done. I think it might even make everyone forget about the scandal around you and Cedric. By the way, you _have_ to tell me everything when we get back to the common room. Wh-"

"What's he done, Ginny?" Hermione cut across her before she could continue speaking, veering her back towards her point.

"He's only dragged Ron _and_ Fleur's little sister up from the bottom of the lake. He's so heroic, Hermione, he really is..."

Hermione sighed in frustration. She couldn't have expected anything less, but Harry's obsession with saving people was beginning to get out of hand. "No, he's not heroic, he's hopeless. Did he honestly think they'd let Fleur's little sister die?"

"Yeah but he was in his life-saving mode, he doesn't think about that sort of stuff. He's too noble to leave someone behind for somebody else to come and get. He's _wonderful_."

"Not talking about me, by any chance, are you Ginny?" Cedric had left the tent and had walked over to them. He put a hand on Ginny's shoulder, giving it a squeeze and smiled at her.

Ginny blushed, as she looked at Cedric. She seemed to appreciate his 'wet look'. "No," she said quickly.

Cedric raised one eyebrow.

"She wasn't actually," Hermione confirmed. "Makes a change, she's _always_ talking about how wonderful you are," she grinned cheekily at Cedric.

Ginny's blush became even more pronounced and Cedric laughed.

"He's a bloody idiot!" Ron said as he traipsed towards them, dripping wet with a towel wrapped around him. He frowned at Ginny. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing!" Ginny replied quickly.

"Could you really expect any less of him, though?" Hermione asked exasperatedly.

"Well no," Ron agreed, "but he came back last. He's well down on his points now."

"Oh as if Harry even cares," Hermione replied, "he'll just be thankful to get out of this thing alive."

"What happened?" Cedric asked curiously.

"He brought Fleur's sister back as well," Ginny told him, struggling to keep her cheeks at a moderately normal colour. "It's his hero complex kicking in."

"Ah, so it was _him_ who you were talking about just now...have I got competition, Ginny?" he smiled _that_ smile at Ginny and she giggled.

"Oi pretty boy, that's my little sister," Ron scowled.

"Oi ginger, my name's not pretty boy, it's Cedric," Cedric shot back, good naturedly.

Ron tutted and Ludo Bagman's voice boomed around the grounds.

"Come on, let's go down for the scores," Hermione said, clutching her towel a little tighter around her as a chilly breeze made her shiver.

* * *

"I need something good to read," Cedric said as he sat down, having found Hermione's table hidden away amongst some of the lonelier shelves in the library. He looked tired and fed up.

"Erm..." Hermione frowned as she tried to think of the good wizarding novels that were available in the small selection that the library had. "The hobgoblin and the hag?"

"Read it," Cedric said, resting his head on the desk, using his arms as a pillow.

"Banshee Breakout?"

"Read it," came the muffled response.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked in concern.

"Fine," he didn't sound it.

"Diggory, you're from a respectable family, what would your father say if he knew you were screwing the mudblood?"

Cedric was on his feet in milliseconds and had grabbed Malfoy by the collar, slamming him into the wall.

"Cedric! Madam Pince!" Hermione hissed. "She'll murder you!"

"Call her that just one more time, I _dare_ you," Cedric growled.

Malfoy whimpered and Cedric let go of him, stepping backwards to distance himself from Malfoy.

"That's what I thought, now go."

Malfoy looked like he wanted to say something, but instead he straightened his robes and stalked away.

Cedric dropped back into his chair.

"I'll ask again," Hermione said. "Are you all right?"

Cedric didn't say anything.

"Shall we go and get some éclairs?" Hermione asked tentatively.

"Now that," Cedric said, getting to his feet, "is a brilliant idea."

* * *

"I've been getting that kind of rubbish all day," Cedric said through a mouthful of éclair.

Hermione grimaced.

"Sorry," he said apologetically, having swallowed his mouthful. "Not as crude as Malfoy, granted, but the Ravenclaws have been giving me hassle all day as well because of the whole 'Cho thing' -"

"Has Cho been all right?" Hermione asked curiously.

"She's been fine. I think I let her down gently enough on Saturday that she's not mad at me. I told a few white lies but it's worth it, if it means she's not as upset as she'd be if I told the truth."

"Depends on what the truth is. Honesty is _normally_ the best policy..." Hermione trailed off, waiting for an answer.

"I'm friends with lots of girls," Cedric said with a sigh, and Hermione realised the problem instantly. "She behaves almost as badly towards the rest of them as she does to you and I was just fed up of it. I couldn't even talk to you without Marietta bloody Edgecombe running to her to tell her that I'd had a _conversation_ with another girl..." he rolled his eyes and sighed frustratedly. "I _did_ like her. When she was being rational, that is. Trouble is, she's_ irrational_ for ninety percent of the time."

"You should probably tell her," Hermione said with a frown. "Nobody's going to want to put up with that sort of behaviour for long, so it's only fair that you let her know -"

"I've _tried_, Hermione, believe me I've tried. She doesn't like being told. She thinks it's confirmation that I'm cheating on her, just because I'm sticking up for other girls. There's no convincing her, believe me," he paused, "how have you been, anyway? You haven't been getting any trouble, have you?"

"Ravenclaws and nosy people mostly," Hermione told him. "They're all interested in how we 'got together'. What they really want to know is how on Earth I managed to get my claws into _Cedric Diggory_. They always say your name like you're some sort of God, it's strange," she frowned, wondering why people put him on such a high pedestal. Yes, he was good looking and yes he was kind and clever, but so were lots of boys in the school.

Cedric grinned. "A God? I could get used to that," he said.

"I bet you could," Hermione retorted before continuing with her list of bother that she had been on the receiving end of. "The Slytherins just make snide little comments about me working my way through the champions, but you made that joke far too long ago for it to even be considered anything close to witty. People are mostly being all right in my house, although the twins keep making jokes about betraying the house and fraternising with the 'other champion'. Your _friends_, by the way, keep smirking at me. It's really quite unsettling."

"I'll tell them to stop," Cedric assured her, "and fraternising? Blimey, they've got a wider vocabulary than I give them credit for."

"They're actually really clever," Hermione said, "they're just not interested in school. Some of their...products, although questionable on a moral basis, are really advanced, magic wise."

"How advanced can a rubber chicken _be_, Hermione?" Cedric asked, taking a bite of éclair and chewing it thoroughly before he swallowed it.

Hermione smiled but didn't reply.

* * *

"You know it's not going to stop any rumours if people find us hiding away together in an empty classroom," Hermione mused as she traced her finger down the index of _Popular Potions of the Nineteenth Century_.

"I know, but it means we don't have to deal with _them_, for now."

By '_them_' he meant the other students, who were still obsessed with the scandal of Cedric and Hermione's 'budding relationship' and how much of it was relevant to Cedric's break up with Cho.

Cedric sighed and dropped his book onto the table. "Finished, and it was rubbish," he said sourly, his eyebrows drawn together in displeasure.

"Told you..." Hermione said in a sing song voice. "Don't you have any homework to do? Or is sixth year as much of a breeze as you make it out to be?"

"I've done my homework," Cedric informed her. "I've got less subjects than you, remember?"

"Hmm, I suppose," Hermione replied, flipping through her book until she found page three hundred and forty-nine.

"I _need_ a good book," Cedric groaned, slumping forward onto the desk. "I'm dying, I really am."

"I've got some muggle novels in my trunk if you're interested," Hermione offered, not looking up from her page.

"Are they any good?" Cedric asked.

"Was the last book I recommended you any good?" Hermione asked, curving her lips into a small smile.

"Let's go," Cedric said instantly, getting up and waving his wand so Hermione's books flew into her bag.

"I'm not finished my homework!" Hermione said indignantly. "I'm not just going to drop everything so you can read a story that satisfies your standards."

"Hermione," Cedric said gently, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking at her his eyes wide and pleading, "I am _dying_. You must know how it feels to be without a good book, don't make me endure this torture for any longer than I have to."

Hermione found that she was oddly preoccupied with his hands on her shoulders and the heat that was being transferred through her school shirt. "Okay," she said quietly, "fine."

Cedric beamed at her and threw her bag over his shoulder,and then his own, before he led the way out of the door.

* * *

"Hermione," Lavender said in a giggly voice, "Cedric's waiting outside for you, did you know?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, as she searched through her trunk for all of her muggle books. She threw another paperback onto the large pile on her bed and shifted her dress robes aside.

"And you're just leaving him there?" Parvati asked, astounded. "You're going to make him wait?"

"Yes, Parvati," Hermione sighed, "I'm going to make him wait."

"What are you doing messing around with all those books while _Cedric Diggory_ is waiting outside for you?"

"He wants to borrow a book," Hermione said, rolling her eyes at the reverence with which Lavender had said Cedric's name.

"Cedric Diggory likes books?" Parvati asked, sounding disappointed.

"Yes, he does," Hermione said, adding _Trainspotting_ to the pile.

"Oh," Parvati said, clearly unimpressed.

* * *

"The amount of moonstone affects the potency of the potion," Cedric was saying to Ginny as Hermione came out of the portrait hole, a high stack of books hovering next to her.

Both Cedric and Ginny were sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. Ginny had a scroll of parchment out and was leaning on a text book as she wrote, while Cedric explained shrinking solutions to her. He looked up when he noticed Hermione.

"Oh, you've decided to return, then?" his eyes landed on the tower of books and widened.

"I thought you could choose some that you like the sound of," Hermione explained, waving her wand so that the books landed neatly on the ground next to Cedric.

Cedric began to go through the books, reading the blurb on the back before adding them to his 'yes', 'no' or 'maybe' piles.

The yes pile ended up being considerably larger than both other piles put together, and Hermione decided that it was a compliment to her taste in books.

* * *


	7. Explosions

**A/N:** So I'm super pleased you're all enjoying this. 80 reviews is absolutely manic and I love reading every single one of them. I hope you enjoy this chapter (which was quite hard to write as I didn't _really_ know where I was going with it). Anyway, let me know what you think. Updates are going to be a bit further apart now because I'm back at college tomorrow :(

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

"So I thought Dorian was a bit annoying to begin with," Cedric began, his spare hand reaching behind his back so he could scratch it while his other hand kept a firm hold on his book.

Hermione looked up from her own book. "And?"

"And now I think he's completely mental," Cedric finished.

"A fair analysis," Hermione said, nodding slowly. "You're enjoying it then?"

"Yeah, it's easier to understand than the others. It hasn't got vacuum cleaners or televisions or any of that rubbish in it."

Hermione smiled. "You should have taken muggle studies. Then maybe -"

"Then maybe I wouldn't be taking the subjects that I _want_ to take?" Cedric grinned, displaying his perfectly straight pearly white teeth. Hermione would have been quite jealous had Madam Pomfrey not shrunken her own teeth a few months previously.

"You could have taken muggle studies too," Hermione said.

"Yeah but there's plenty of muggleborns here who can explain that sort of stuff better than Professor Burbage can."

"Professor Burbage is very nice," Hermione said defensively, frowning slightly as she looked at the soles Cedric's shoes, which were resting casually on the table.

"I'm sure she is, but it doesn't change the fact that she's completely batty."

Hermione tutted and returned to her book.

* * *

"Oh look, there's Ginny, shall I make her and her friends explode?" he sounded a little too excited about explosions for Hermione's liking.

"There'll be an awful lot of questions to answer and I'm fairly sure Mrs Weasley won't be too happy if you blow her to smithereens..."

"Watch this," he said in a low voice, his breath tickling Hermione's ear.

Hermione could sense that Cedric was about to do a lot of smiling and a lot of shoulder touching. She could also sense that Ginny would be giggling for the next two weeks.

"Ginny!" Cedric said happily as he approached her, "how's my favourite redhead?"

Ginny and her friends came to a halt as they walked down the corridor. Ginny frowned while her friends looked at Cedric with dumbstruck expressions on their faces. "There are only two other ginger people in this school who _aren't_ related to me."

Cedric smirked and took a step forward. "All right, how's my favourite third year?"

Ginny frowned again and Hermione was rather impressed that her freckly cheeks were only slightly tinged pink. "How many third years do you know?"

"Merlin, you're demanding today, aren't you?" Cedric said with a wide smile.

A couple of Ginny's friends sighed but Ginny just waited patiently for him to amend his rather poor compliments.

"Okay, how about this one: how's my favourite girl in this entire school?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, doubting this to be true.

"Favourite-r than Hermione?" Ginny asked sceptically.

"Even favourite-r than Hermione," Cedric confirmed, crossing his fingers behind his back so only Hermione could see. Hermione felt a smile form itself on her face at the sight of his crossed fingers.

Ginny beamed and her cheeks became a little pinker. "I'm great," she told him. "How's my second favourite champion?"

Cedric's jaw dropped. "Oh Ginny, how could you hurt me so?" he cried dramatically, "although I suppose I'm not as heroic as Harry is, am I?"

Ginny blushed a little more.

"Ah well, I can deal with that," Cedric said. "I'll see you around, Ginny."

To Ginny's delight, and the amazement of her friends, Cedric dropped a kiss on top of her head before he squeezed her shoulder, gave her one last smile and walked away, Hermione shaking her head as she followed him.

"Now that," Cedric said quietly to Hermione as she caught up with him, "was a master at work."

"I'm surprised she was even able to say more than a couple of words to you," Hermione told him. "She's getting better."

"Girls always get cheeky when they want to impress their friends," Cedric replied. "_Second favourite_...how could she?"

"You'll get over it," Hermione assured him.

Cedric frowned. "Kitchens?"

"What, do you need some éclairs after that devastating blow to your ego?" Hermione smirked.

"No, I think _you_ need éclairs, and I need to watch you eat them."

"Pervert," she smiled despite Cedric's unsettling habits.

* * *

"What was it like?"

"Amazing..." Ginny replied dreamily, twirling a strand of hair around her index finger.

"I don't believe you. Why would _Cedric Diggory_ kiss you? I thought he fancied Hermione?" a blonde girl with glasses said doubtfully, her eyebrows knitted tightly together in a jealous frown.

"You weren't _there_, Diane," another girl said exasperatedly. "He kissed her, on top of her head, and he said that she was his favourite girl in the school."

"That doesn't make sense. He's a sixth year, _and_ he was going out with Cho Chang. Why would he ditch her and then...I mean, no offence Ginny, but she's older and -"

Hermione cleared her throat loudly, causing the group of girls sitting in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room to jump.

"I can assure you," Hermione said, addressing Ginny's friend Diane, "that Cedric did kiss Ginny, and I can also assure you that he doesn't fancy me."

Diane's jaw dropped. "I want _every_ detail," she said excitedly, turning back to Ginny.

Hermione rolled her eyes and made a mental note to hex Cedric if he ever did anything that caused a reaction as annoyingly giggly as the one he had caused today.

* * *

Ginny elbowed Hermione in the ribs at breakfast, causing her to choke on her cereal.

"Look!" Ginny hissed, jerking her head over to the Ravenclaw table, where Viktor had stopped to talk to Cho, who was blushing slightly as he spoke to her.

Hermione's jaw dropped slightly. She glanced over to the Hufflepuff table to see Cedric, spoon halfway to his mouth, which was hanging open, staring at Cho and Viktor. His friends were laughing at him, glancing over to Viktor and Cho every now and then as they spoke.

Slowly, Cedric turned to meet Hermione's eyes. 'Fast!' he mouthed, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Jealous?' she mouthed back.

He shook his head vehemently then mouthed: 'Surprised'.

Hermione couldn't argue with that, so instead she decided to finish her cereal, only half listening to Ginny's chatter. She frowned when she noticed Dumbledore watching Cho and Viktor's exchange, a small, triumphant looking smile on his face.

Cedric caught up with her as she was walking to Transfiguration. "She took a long time to get over me, didn't she?"

"What were you expecting?" Hermione asked, "her to be on her knees begging you to take her back for weeks on end? Aren't you glad?"

"Well yeah, I am glad," Cedric admitted, "but it's a bit insulting, isn't it?"

Hermione tutted as a group of girls turned their heads as they walked past Cedric, in order to get a longer look at him. "And of course she wasn't offended at all by the fact that you left her in the bottom of the lake to drown..."

"I didn't leave her to drown," Cedric said with a frown. "I just...left her."

They had arrived at Professor McGonagall's classroom and the other students were already beginning to file in. "Yes, you left her because you were too busy rescuing the girl who she was quite sure you were cheating on her with. You're really the perfect gentleman, aren't you?"

"If you two are _quite_ finished discussing inane matters," Professor McGonagall was standing in the doorway, an unamused and impatient expression on her face, "then I can get on with my lesson, and I'm sure, Mr Diggory, that Professor Vector can get on with his."

Hermione blushed, unused to being told off by Professor McGonagall and squeezed past her into the classroom.

"Mr Diggory I would like to see you in my office at break time. No excuses."

"Professor..." Cedric groaned. "We were only talking..."

"_No_ excuses," Professor McGonagall repeated firmly, before she shut the door in his face.

* * *

He was waiting outside as Hermione, Harry and Ron left the classroom and she gave him a grim smile.

"Why aren't _you_ getting told off?" he demanded.

Hermione shrugged as Professor McGonagall, who was sitting at her desk sorting through homework, beckoned Cedric in with a bony finger.

"Wait for me," he murmured, and then went into the classroom.

Ron frowned. "You're not _actually_ waiting, are you?"

"Yes," Hermione replied. "He'd wait for me."

Ron rolled his eyes and Harry shook his head in amusement, although Hermione failed to see what was funny. "See you in Herbology," he called over his shoulder.

Hermione sighed, and hung around in the corridor aimlessly for a full ten minutes before Cedric reappeared, looking like he'd spent the first half of his break being as mind numbingly bored as Hermione had.

"Well?" Hermione asked as they set off down the corridor, towards the stairs that led to the entrance hall.

Cedric smirked.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked. "Didn't she give you detention?"

Cedric laughed, which only served to make Hermione more impatient.

"What did she say?"

"She's very protective of her students," Cedric said, still smirking. "She said she'd blame me if you don't get Outstanding in all of your OWLs next year. And apparently Ginny and her friends have been rather distracted of late...apparently I'm causing quite a stir amongst you Gryffindor girls."

"That's it?" Hermione said, bewildered. "That's all she wanted to say? 'Stop being so charming'?"

"Well she didn't say it in _quite_ such a complimentary fashion as that...it was more of a 'stop causing gossip amongst my girls or I'll have you in detention for the rest of the year'."

"Ah, so no more smiling and no more whispering then?"

"'Fraid not," Cedric replied glumly. "I'm gonna have to watch myself, I'm just so naturally wonderful that -"

"Oh _please_," Hermione said boredly, "give it a rest, will you? You know that rubbish won't wash with me."

"Yes, I've been wondering about that. Why are you so different? It appears the 'small minority' isn't so much a small minority, more a singular person with incredibly strong will power."

Hermione rolled her eyes. She found she did that a lot when she was around Cedric.

"I even got a shy smile from Millicent Bullstrode the other day, you know, that Slytherin in your year that's built like a broomshed and looks like she could wrestle a chimaera," Cedric paused, considering something, "and she'd win."

"The name would have sufficed," Hermione told him.

"Yeah but the description was thought provoking, don't you think?"

Hermione rolled her eyes again. "You actually got a smile from Millicent Bullstrode?"

"Yeah, bit worrying, really. I started _Catcher in the Rye_, by the way."

"Oh good!" Hermione's face lit up with a smile, "what d'you think? Where are you up to?"

* * *

"Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" he asked, eyeing up his éclair as though trying to decide on the most effective way of devouring it.

"Yes," Hermione replied. "Why?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to get a Butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks. It'd be nice to hang out somewhere that isn't the library or the kitchens."

"Um..." Hermione began awkwardly, torn between wanting to take him up on his offer and seeing through the plans that she'd already made.

"If you don't want to that's fine," Cedric said quickly, "but I just thought I'd ask, you know."

"No it's not that," Hermione said hurriedly, "I _do _want to, but I've got...things that need seeing to on Saturday."

An accurate translation of 'things that need seeing to' would have been 'Sirius Black is in desperate need of company and food because he's been hiding out in a cave and living off of rats for the last few months' but she doubted Cedric would be entirely pleased that she was choosing to spend her time with a convicted mass murderer over himself. That would probably be one blow too hard to his delicate ego.

"We can always go another time," Cedric suggested. "Don't worry about it."

"Well it won't take up the _whole_ day," Hermione said, "so I suppose I could meet you at about three o'clock?"

"All right," Cedric said, nodding in agreement, "three o'clock it is."

Hermione smiled, adjusting her position on the uncomfortable stone step that she was sitting on.

* * *

"Hermione, if he asked you to Hogsmeade, it's a date."

"It's not a date, Ginny..."

"It _is_. This is huge. _Really_ huge. Well, it would be if you accepted the fact that he'd asked you out."

"He _hasn't_. We're just friends, Ginny."

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione!" Ginny said frustratedly, "he's finally got things moving between you two and all you can say is that you're just friends?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and didn't reply. She knew full well that Cedric had asked her as a friend, and Ginny's assumption that he had asked her on a date was absolutely absurd. Cedric had much better options when it came to dating, so there was no way in hell he'd ever even consider...

Hermione huffed, annoyed that Ginny had even set this train of thought in motion.

Harry walked over to their table in the common room and Hermione decided now would be the best time to tell him that she needed to be back to the Three Broomsticks in time to meet Cedric on Saturday.

"Is that all right?" Hermione asked, biting her lip worriedly as she waited for his reaction.

Harry frowned a little. "Yeah, fine," he said. "Why d'you need to be back?"

"She's got a date with _Cedric_," Ginny told him, smiling widely.

Harry looked amused. "Really?"

"It's not a _date_," Hermione told him.

"All right, I believe you," clearly he didn't.

"Harry!" she moaned. "Don't you start!"

Harry merely grinned as he got his homework out of his bag and sat down next to Ginny, who blushed furiously at their unexpected close proximity.

After a few minutes he sighed. "Help?" he asked, turning to Hermione, his hand ruffling his hair after he spoke.

"You should have considered that _before_ you started teasing me," Hermione replied, her attention remaining on her own homework.

"Please?" he begged.

She relented.

* * *


	8. Books and Butterbeer

**A/N:** Thanks again for all the reviews. There probably won't be an update tomorrow, and I'm not particularly sure about the day after either. Still, hopefully you'll all be able to continue about your daily business as per usual, and if you find the strain too hard, you are quite welcome to come and take my place in college while I write the next chapter. ;-)

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

"You're wearing _that_?"

Hermione glanced in the mirror at her dark blue jeans and lemon coloured v-neck jumper. "Yes?" she answered, unsure of what the problem was.

"Hermione," Lavender said, trying to hold in a shocked laugh as she stared wide eyed at her, "you can't wear _that_ when you go on a date with _Cedric Diggory_."

Hermione growled and clenched her fists. "It is _not_ a date!" she hissed. "For the last time, Cedric and I are _friends_! Is that concept really so difficult to grasp?"

"She's not even wearing any eyeliner," Parvati said, moving cautiously closer to Hermione and peering at her face. "No mascara, no blusher, no eye-shadow, not even any foundation!"

"Well she _can_ get away without the foundation," Lavender said critically, "her skin's quite clear, but she _could _use a little colour in her cheeks..."

"No!" Hermione said firmly, backing towards the door. "Really, I'm fine. Honestly."

"Just a little bit of eyeliner!" Lavender pleaded as Hermione escaped through the dormitory door, almost falling down the stairs in her haste to get away from the two girls.

* * *

"_That's _what your wearing on your date?" Ginny had come down to join them for breakfast.

Hermione gripped her fork tightly. "Ginny, I swear, I will stab you if you do not be quiet immediately."

Ginny's eyes widened and she fell silent, taking a seat further down the table so she was out of Hermione's stabbing range.

"What date?" Ron asked through a mouthful of egg.

Hermione looked down at the table, focusing on the pepper pot so she didn't have to see any more of his half eaten breakfast dangling from his mouth.

"It's not a date," Harry said, before adding with a half smile, "apparently."

Hermione inhaled deeply, absolutely furious with everybody. Why could they not just accept that she was friends with Cedric? She had been friends with Harry and Ron for years, but no one had ever questioned it. Why did it have to be different now? Besides, it wasn't like Cedric would ever want anything to do with her _like that_. He had his pick of all the girls in school, so why was everybody so obsessed with the fact that they had been seen _talking_ a few times.

Hermione sighed and decided that people _really_ needed to get a life.

She glanced over to the Hufflepuff table (a habit she had obtained of late) and saw Cedric looking curiously at her, his head tilted to one side as one of his friends spoke to him. It was clear that he wasn't listening.

'You all right?' he mouthed. His friend realised he wasn't paying attention, glanced towards Hermione and smirked, before turning to his other friends, who also looked round at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes in an 'I'll tell you later' sort of way, and Cedric nodded, frowning a little as he turned his attention back on his friends.

When he noticed that they were smirking as they looked between him and Hermione, he slapped the closest one on the arm and scowled at the rest of them.

This only caused them to laugh.

* * *

"Have they got any leads on Bertha Jorkins, d'you know? They haven't said anything in _The Prophet_ but it sounds like it's being hushed up."

"No idea," Harry replied. "We haven't heard anything."

Sirius did not look happy. He heaved a sigh and sat down on the rocky floor of the cave. "I dunno...what with Bertha's disappearance and you getting your name pulled out of the cup..."

Hermione chewed anxiously on her lip, knowing Sirius, at least, was worrying just as much as she was. She checked her watch. Two o'clock.

Ron rolled his eyes and tutted.

"What?" Sirius asked, looking up at Ron.

"Hermione's got a _date_, and she's all anxious to be on time."

Sirius grinned. "A date?"

"It's _not_ a date!" Hermione said crossly. "Honestly!"

"Oh it is, really, Hermione," Harry said, "there's nothing wrong with it. I don't mind you fraternising with the enemy."

Ron sent Harry a sour look.

"I am _not_ fraternising. And he's _not_ the enemy!"

"Who is it?" Sirius asked curiously frowning in concern at Harry's use of the word 'enemy'.

"Cedric Diggory, the _other_ champion," Harry said with a grin. "Half the girls in school have their tongues lolling out every time he walks past and he's asked Hermione out."

"We're _friends_," Hermione said through gritted teeth.

"Diggory...Amos's son?"

"Yeah," Ron answered.

"Isn't he a little old for you, Hermione? I mean, I remember when he was born. I was at the christening," he let out a short bark of laughter. "Wonder what Cedric would think about that!"

"He's not too old to be my _friend_," Hermione said pointedly. "Now, if you could all stop being so insufferable for just a moment, there are more important things to be discussing than who I shall be having a drink with in the Three Broomsticks later. I suppose the reason I've become such good friends with him is because he doesn't have the mental capacity of a three year old!"

Sirius turned away to hide his smile, while Harry, at least, attempted to look suitably ashamed of himself, his chest shaking as he tried to hold his laughter down.

"So you're telling me that you don't fancy him at all?" Ron persisted.

"Do I ever have my tongue lolling out when he walks past? No. Am I able to hold a conversation with him without turning bright red and giggling stupidly? Yes. Therefore, I do not fancy him."

"You're a very sensible girl Hermione, I doubt you'd do that even if you _did_ fancy him," Sirius said before adding cautiously, (yet still grinning) "not saying that you do, of course. I'm just saying you're not daft like most girls your age."

Hermione sighed impatiently and then turned to Harry. "Are you going to tell him about what you saw on the map or not?"

Harry's eyes widened. Seemingly he'd completely forgotten that he'd seen Barty Crouch's dot wandering around Hogwarts in the dead of night just a few nights previously, despite him being too ill to attend the judging of the second task.

"What did you see?" Sirius asked quickly, all seriousness returning as the conversation was led back towards more sinister events.

* * *

"Have you been waiting long?" Hermione asked anxiously as she took off her coat and set it down with her bag under the table. She slid into the booth and ran a hand through her hair, which was frizzier than it had been when she'd left the castle that morning.

"No, I just sat down, are you all right? You look a bit..." he trailed off, not really knowing what to say, so instead he drank some of his Butterbeer.

"Yes, I'm fine," Hermione told him, "just had a bit of a brisk walk, that's all."

In truth, she had hurried down the mountainside when she had looked at her watch and realised it was ten to three. She was perfectly aware that she was slightly sweaty, perfectly aware that her cheeks were red from the unexpected speed-hiking, and perfectly aware that her hair was most likely a horrific mess. What Lavender and Parvati would say if they saw her now, Hermione dreaded to think.

She took a long sip of her Butterbeer, which, although it didn't refresh her all that much, sent a pleasant heat through her body which helped her to relax after her hectic and slightly dangerous journey down from the cave.

"What have you been up to this afternoon then?" he asked curiously.

Hermione's eyebrows raised quite unintentionally as she considered what she could tell him. "Erm..."

"You don't have to say if you don't want to," Cedric said, an amused smile on his face.

"No it's just...well...it's not really for me to tell, if you know what I mean?"

"Have you been getting up to no good?" Cedric asked quietly, leaning forwards so she could hear him. His eyebrows were raised slightly in interest.

Hermione blushed. "Well no, of course not, it's just, well..."

Cedric grinned again and leaned back into his seat. "Relax, we'll talk about something else instead. Although you _have_ made me awfully curious."

"Don't go digging, will you?" Hermione pleaded. "It's really _really_ important."

"Okay," Cedric said. When Hermione didn't look convinced, he added, "I promise."

Hermione nodded. "What have you been up to then?" she asked.

"Oh you know, Eric and Phil dragged me into Zonko's. I dragged them into the bookshop, usual sort of thing."

"Get anything good?" Hermione asked, her interest peaking at the mention of the bookshop.

"As a matter of fact I did..." Cedric said, reaching under the table for a brown paper bag which was tearing at the edges from the amount of books it was holding.

Cedric then proceeded to show each book to Hermione, who inspected them thoroughly before she allowed him to move onto the next one.

Finally the pub started to clear out.

"We'd better get a move on if we want to get back before dinner," Cedric said.

"Yes, I suppose you're right," Hermione said, draining the last of her drink and getting to her feet, her stomach sloshing as she stood due to the amount of Butterbeer she had consumed over the afternoon.

She was just putting her coat on when she heard an instantly recognisable, nasally voice floating over from a table nearby.

"I wonder what Ludo Bagman's done to get those goblins so riled. I can see it now, front page, they'll call it the Bagman scandal. Ohh, it'll ruin him!" she sounded delighted, as though she had just found out that tomorrow was her birthday and she'd be getting an extra big present.

"For Merlin's sake!" Hermione half screeched as she stormed over to Rita Skeeter. "Why can't you just write some _proper_ news for once! You'd do anything to get a story, even if it means dragging Ludo Bagman down into that messy little world of yours!"

"Don't talk about things you don't understand you silly girl!" Rita snapped, her blonde ringlets bobbing up and down as she spoke. "I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl...not that it _needs_ it!"

"Oh wonderful," Hermione laughed, "I've heard a three year old come up with that one, don't feel _too_ witty, will you, Rita?"

Cedric had approached, carrying Hermione's bag along with his own bulging bagful of books.

Rita did a double take. "Cedric!" she cooed, getting to her feet. "Oh how wonderful to see you! I heard that you did fantastically well in the second task, congratulations!"

Her companion got his camera out and snapped a shot of both Cedric and Hermione, the flash taking them by surprise and leaving them blind for a few seconds afterwards.

"Thanks," Cedric said stiffly, still trying to blink the light from his eyes. "Come on," he murmured to Hermione. "Let's go."

Rita's eyes widened. "You're not – surely – you're not here with _her_?"

"Sorry Rita, no time to chat," he didn't sound sorry at all.

Hermione took her bag and slung it over her shoulder, shooting one last dark look at Rita before she allowed Cedric to guide her out of the pub, his hand resting between her shoulder blades, steering her through the tables.

"Can you believe her?" Hermione ranted as they got outside. "I mean _honestly_, Ludo Bagman of all people. Hasn't she damaged enough reputations?"

"You don't want to go starting fights with Rita Skeeter," Cedric warned her. "No good will come of it, I'm telling you. She's uncommonly vicious and you don't want to end up on the wrong side of her. You have no idea how many people mistake her word as truth."

"Like I give a damn," Hermione replied hotly. "What can she say about me? Ooh, she's got curly hair! So what? There's nothing she can say that could possibly damage me."

"Famous last words..." Cedric mumbled.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing."

* * *

Hermione was greeted by half the house when she got back to the Gryffindor common room, all of them anxious to find out what had happened on her date with Cedric. She noted that many of the boys were absent from the common room, and rather suspected that they had disappeared, unable to put up with the incessant giggling and gossip from every single girl that Gryffindor house had to offer.

"You've got to tell us every single detail," Ginny said, leading her over to the squashiest armchair by the fire and pushing her into it.

"Oh for -"

"Hermione," Lavender said, speaking as though she was trying to explain something to someone who was mentally challenged, "we know that we've got _no_ hope with _Cedric Diggory_ so we'll just have to experience his wonderfulness through you."

Hermione rolled her eyes and tried to get up, but Ginny held her firmly in her chair.

"The more you cooperate the sooner we can get this done," Ginny told her. "Now, stay put, answer all questions honestly and we promise we'll let you go as soon as we're finished, all right?"

"Do I have any choice in the matter?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms.

Ginny appeared to consider her question for a moment. "No."

Hermione sighed and made herself comfortable, prepared for a long and torturous evening of asinine and tedious questions.

"Who's got the list?" Ginny asked.

"List? What list?"

"I have," Lavender said, unrolling a scroll of parchment, her eyes glancing down it as she checked that everything was correct. After a moment she was satisfied and fidgeted slightly on the rug by the fire.

"Right, question one -"

Hermione sighed and rested her head on the palm of her hand, wondering if she'd be out of the common room in time for breakfast tomorrow morning.

* * *

"Right, and last, but most importantly – Hermione wake up!"

Hermione jumped and her eyes snapped open. "What?"

"I can't _believe_ you fell asleep. Honestly. I hope you didn't do that in front of Cedric. He probably wouldn't appreciate it," Parvati said reproachfully.

"I didn't fall asleep while Cedric was talking to me, mostly because Cedric has more interesting things to say than 'did he fiddle with his hair while he was talking to you?'" (he did) "or 'how many Butterbeers did he buy for you?'." (Seven.) "Forgive me if I find your line of questioning to be sleep inducing, but it's really not the most riveting conversation I've ever been a part of."

"Oh don't be so moody," Ginny said. "Last question."

"Did he kiss you?" Lavender asked, a big grin on her face.

"No," Hermione said boredly.

"Did you kiss him?"

"No."

"Did you _want_ him to kiss you?"

"Not particularly."

"Did he _try_ to kiss you?"

"No! Now will you all be quiet and let me go to bed!"

The girls all turned to Lavender, who read quickly down her list, then looked at Hermione for a long moment. "Well...oh yes, I suppose you can go."

A path was cleared for Hermione as she got up and made her way precariously through the dozens of girls who were crammed around the fireplace.

It was with a great deal of relief that Hermione entered her dormitory, and as she settled down into her bed, she allowed the peace and quiet to wash over her, sending her into a content and uninterrupted sleep.

* * *


	9. Bubotuber Blues

**A/N:** I realise a few days turned into a week and a half, however, I haven't been sitting around doing nothing - we're filming a music video for a college assignment and that means lots of late nights at college and lots of trips out to Southend in an attempt to make it look like Vegas. LOL. Also, the birthday celebrations last a few days rather than a few hours so all in all an eventful week. Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter, I hope you like this one, it was quite difficult to write. Updates will probably be more sporadic but hopefully I'll still be able to get a few chapters out each week.

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**By Flaignhan.**

* * *

On Monday morning, Hermione sat down to breakfast, not particularly registering the curious glances coming her way. Not even five seconds after she'd sat down, Cedric was standing behind her.

"Come with me, we need to talk."

Hermione frowned. "Now?"

The look on Cedric's face told her that now was definitely the only option. "We'll get some breakfast in the kitchens."

Hermione stood up and followed him from the great hall, biting her lip self consciously as she started to notice the staring, giggles and pointing coming from various students all across the great hall.

Cedric said nothing as they walked towards the kitchens and Hermione had to hurry to keep up with him, keeping her eyes firmly on the path ahead so she didn't have to look at the laughing students who stopped to look at them as they passed.

"Just some toast for me," Cedric said to the house elf who had trotted up to them upon their arrival. "Hermione?"

Hermione blinked, breakfast being the last thing on her mind, "yeah, toast, that'll be fine."

The elf scampered off to prepare some toast for them and Cedric sat on his usual step and sighed.

"What's wrong? Why are people looking at us?"

"Rita's very fast," he said, pulling the latest issue of _Witch Weekly_ from his bag.

Hermione's stomach dropped and she took the magazine from him.

"We've got a double page feature," Cedric told her, a scowl on his face. "Read it. Get it over and done with."

Hermione bit her lip, wondering whether she really wanted to read the article, which would undoubtedly be a collection of poisonous lies, or whether she would be better off pretending it didn't exist.

"Read it," Cedric said again.

Hermione opened the magazine.

_HERMIONE GRANGER – TRIWIZARD TART_

_Having ditched her long term boyfriend and Triwizard contestant Harry Potter at the beginning of the year -_

"_What_?" Hermione shrieked in disgust. "Harry?"

"That's not even the worst of it, just read the bloody thing."

- _Miss Hermione Granger, 15, decided that she would like to get her claws into international quidditch player and Durmstrang champion Viktor Krum. After dating him for several weeks and attending the Yule Ball with him (whether this was voluntary on Krum's part is debatable, read on for further details) she decided to end their relationship on a rather sour note. Not much is known about the cause of the break up, however rumours started to fly when her attention then turned to Cedric Diggory, the other Hogwarts champion, who, at the time, was dating the pretty fifth year Hogwarts student Cho Chang. The situation became even more suspicious when Cedric ended his budding relationship with Miss Chang shortly before the second task of the tournament. He is now seen to be constantly in Hermione Granger's company._

"_What he wants with her, I've got no idea," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and well spoken young lady in Miss Granger's year at Hogwarts. "Granger's not even remotely good looking and she had to shrink her teeth earlier this year because she looked like a rabbit. She's a complete swot so it wouldn't surprise me if she's been brewing love potions. That's the only reason Cedric would even go near her. Cho's really pretty and great at Quidditch so he wouldn't ditch her for Granger, no way."_

_Having spoken to Miss Granger myself several times, it is plain to see that she is remarkably intelligent, perhaps dangerously so, as well as being incredibly ambitious. I asked Cho Chang, Cedric Diggory's ex-girlfriend, what she thought of the situation: "Cedric and I were in love, and then he broke up with me because he _said_ he was in love with Hermione Granger. He didn't look at all like himself, but at the time I was so upset that I didn't register the effects of a love potion."_

_No doubt Albus Dumbledore will investigate the strange goings on at Hogwarts and hopefully all relationships ruined by Miss Granger will be back to normal once more. With any luck, next time, Harry Potter will place his heart in the hands of a worthier candidate. _

_For now, we here at Witch Weekly are crossing our fingers for Fleur Delacour, the charming candidate from Beauxbatons, in the hope that Miss Granger doesn't choose her to be her next victim, in a bid to complete her collection of Triwizard Champions. _

Hermione said nothing. She stared wide eyed at the article, her mouth open in disbelief. There was a large copy of the picture that had been taken in the Three Broomsticks, and the photo version of Cedric was trying to pull Hermione away as she glared at Rita, who was out of shot.

"Cho didn't say that. She said she's never spoken to Rita in her life."

"You believe her?"

"Yes," he sounded certain and Hermione found that it was easy to accept Cho's innocence in the matter, especially when Rita's disregard for the truth was taken into account.

Hermione sighed and ran a hand through her bushy hair, then tugged at her wrist when her fingers got caught in the tangles.

"You all right?" Cedric asked quietly.

"Yes," Hermione said firmly, though her hands were shaking in anger and frustration. Her face was hot and she could feel angry tears welling in the corners of her eyes, but she refused to cry. She wouldn't shed one tear over any article that that nasty little woman wrote.

"She's just jealous because she can't get anyone as handsome as me," Cedric said lightheartedly.

Hermione didn't laugh.

"Should we..." Cedric trailed off.

"What?"

"Well, there's a few options. Either we can stay as far away from each other as possible to try and make a point about the fact that we're not actually _together_ together. Or, we can just hold our heads high, present a united front, deal with everything they chuck at us and just carry on as normal, or...we could pretend that we're actually together and they'll be so excited about the fact that we're _actually_ together that they'll forget all about the article."

"The third one sounds tempting and I would go for it if it weren't for all the love potion rumours."

"Ah, yes, flaw in the plan."

"I don't think we should stay away from each other," Hermione said slowly, her eyes locked on the article.

"No, I don't either."

"So a united front it is, then."

"I suppose so." Cedric smiled at Hermione and she felt a little better. "Shall I ask for some éclairs? We can hide out in here for today."

"I've got lessons!"

"Dumbledore'll understand. Don't worry, you won't get in trouble," he said, waving a hand as though dismissing her concerns about truancy.

"I've got potions and transfiguration, I'll _definitely_ get in trouble," Hermione said, getting to her feet and putting her bag strap over her shoulder.

Cedric pointed his wand towards the kitchen door and sealed it shut.

"I know the reverse," Hermione told him boredly.

"Please stay, I'm too much of a coward to face lessons today and I don't want to be stuck in here on my own."

He was grinning at her and Hermione could clearly see that cowardice wasn't something that occurred in Cedric Diggory. He was lying, but he was lying so he could be in her company for longer, so she supposed she should have found that flattering. As it was, she just found it to be silly.

"What are we going to do all day?" she asked, sitting back down on the step and setting her bag down.

"Eat éclairs?"

Hermione sighed.

* * *

"Watch your drinks! Granger's about!"

"Even if she _was _brewing love potions, I doubt she'd use one on _you_, Mortimer."

The boy sneered at Ginny and stalked off with his friends.

"Nice one, Gin," Harry said, glaring at the backs of the boys. He didn't notice Ginny's blush.

Hermione huffed, having given up on witty ripostes a long time ago. Ignoring any mentions of the article was the best course of action, and every time somebody called her the 'Triwizard Tart' she hastily began reciting the twelve uses of dragon's blood in her mind so she didn't end up hexing them into next week.

For the Slytherins, it was like Christmas had come early. They couldn't get enough of the article, and were constantly waving it around, calling out quotes. Snape had been unbearable, though Hermione was slightly relieved (and felt slightly guilty for feeling that way) that he had decided to aim most of his snide comments towards Harry.

"Hermione!" Cho had jogged towards them while Marietta Edgecombe stood at the side of the courtyard, glaring in their direction.

"Hi Cho," Hermione said tiredly.

"I just wanted to tell you that I didn't say any of that stuff," she said in a rush.

"I know, Cedric told me."

"Oh right, okay. Well, yeah, I just wanted to make sure you knew that. See you around."

"Yeah, bye Cho."

Cho waved as she turned away and headed back over to Marietta.

"She's really nice, isn't she?" Harry said, a slightly glazed expression on his face. "Even though you wrecked her relationship she's refusing to talk rubbish about you."

Hermione's jaw dropped indignantly. "I did _not_ ruin her relationship, now put your tongue back in your mouth and let's go!"

Harry blinked and tore his attention away from Cho, just in time to dodge a huge muddy puddle.

* * *

"Mum and Dad have gone a bit bonkers," Cedric told her, before stuffing half an éclair into his mouth.

"Do they believe it?"

"Well, they didn't know what to believe, did they? Dad sent me an owl asking what it was all about and I just said that you got cross with Rita and she's taking her revenge in the most petty and pathetic manner possible. I also said it's not our fault if every stupid wizard in the whole country takes Rita Skeeter's word as truth, that's more the fault of their parents for bringing them up to be gullible little -"

"Did he reply?"

"Yeah. He said jolly good, and that's he's glad I've got myself a girl who won't take any dung from someone like Rita."

"What, he thinks we're..."

"There's no convincing him otherwise. You know what parents are like..."

"Yeah," Hermione replied, knowing only too well. Her mother had taken to smiling in an odd fashion whenever she mentioned Ron, which was rather unsettling, if truth be told.

"Mum sent me an owl wanting to know all about you. She seemed rather impressed when I told her."

"So your parents think that we're..." Hermione screwed up her nose, not liking the idea of Cedric's parents thinking that she was Cedric's girlfriend. The thought of her actually being Cedric's girlfriend was laughable, and she had no idea how so many people could swallow such an obvious lie with so much ease.

"Yeah, only because they want me to have a decent girl. It's more a case of them deluding themselves into thinking I've got a good girlfriend and that when we've both left school we're going to get married and live happily ever after."

Hermione paled and Cedric laughed.

"Don't worry, I won't be putting a ring on your finger... yet," he was smirking in the way that he always did when he teased her.

Hermione rolled her eyes at him, though only after she had managed to look away from the smirk that was resting so comfortably on his face.

"Had any more hate mail?" Cedric asked conversationally, picking up another éclair and tearing the end off of it with his teeth.

"Of course," Hermione replied. "Saying quite dreadful things actually, even Ron was shocked at some of the language."

Cedric raised his eyebrows. "Don't worry about it," he said offhandedly, "it'll all blow over soon."

* * *

Unfortunately, it didn't blow over soon enough.

Hermione was sitting at the Gryffindor table, opening her usual delivery of hate mail, (it cheered her up when she noticed it was considerably smaller than it had been yesterday). After destroying several crudely worded (and often misspelt) letters, she turned to the last, thicker letter of the bunch.

Upon opening the letter, the effect was instantaneous. Large red blisters erupted all over her hands, burning her skin as she dropped the letter, tears filling her eyes from the pain.

"What is it?" Harry asked, picking up the letter gingerly and sniffing it. He pulled away quickly, his nose wrinkled.

"Well?" Ron asked, helping Hermione to her feet so she could go to the hospital wing.

"Bubotuber pus."

Hermione moaned and picked up her bag, dropping it when the material seemed to burn the sensitive skin of her palm.

"I'll take it," Cedric had appeared from nowhere and bent down to retrieve her bag. "Come on, Madam Pomfrey'll sort you out in no time."

Ron scowled as Cedric took Hermione by the arm, both of their bags slung over his shoulder and led her from the great hall.

Draco Malfoy's Slytherin gang burst into laughter as they passed, pointing and jeering at Hermione's mutated hands.

It wasn't until they were outside and in the corridor that Hermione let a few unrelenting tears escape her eyes in a frustrated and pained sob. She went to wipe at her eyes with her hand but another sob broke from her body when she saw the state of her hands and realised she couldn't even wipe her own tears away.

Cedric stopped and pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms gently around her as more and more tears decided to free themselves from the confines of her eyes.

"Don't let them get to you," he said softly. "Just throw everything you get in the fire from now on."

Hermione nodded and blinked back some tears, trying to regain control of herself.

Gently, so gently that Hermione barely felt it, so gently, in fact, that it made her heart skip a few beats, Cedric wiped the tears from her cheeks with his thumb.

"Hospital wing?" he asked quietly.

Hermione nodded.

"Come on, let's go. The sooner you get that sorted the better."

* * *

"Oh _honestly_. I really am losing my faith in humanity," Madame Pomfrey bustled about, ranting about everything from Rita Skeeter to the woman who she lived next door to when she was younger, who sounded just as awful and just malicious as Rita. She began wrapping bandages around Hermione's swollen hands and by the time she was finished, Hermione looked as though she was wearing a pair of thick white mittens.

"Drink this," Madam Pomfrey handed her a vial of green potion. "For the pain. Come back to me this evening for another dose."

Hermione nodded and drank the potion, wincing a little at the taste.

"No lessons today, Miss Granger. Your hands are too delicate and I don't imagine you'll be able to do much wand work like that."

"So on the bright side you get to avoid Snape," Cedric told her cheerfully.

Hermione sighed and looked down at her hands.

"Don't worry, I'll keep you company. We can eat éclairs."

"You most certainly won't, Diggory. Back to lessons with you! You've already missed out on half of Herbology. What would your head of house say?"

"Actually, Poppy, I think some good company is just what Miss Granger needs," Dumbledore was standing in the doorway of the hospital wing, dressed in a set of impressive purple robes with gold stitching. "Some fresh air wouldn't go amiss, either, I think. Would you disagree, Poppy?"

"Fresh air won't do any harm, I suppose," Madam Pomfrey agreed, although it sounded like it was against her better judgement to let Hermione do anything other than sit in the Gryffindor common room all day.

"A trip to Hogsmeade, then, would be a suitable course of action. Miss Granger certainly looks like she needs a few new books to cheer herself up and I do have a small errand for her, and Mr Diggory, if he would be kind enough to assist."

"Of course, Professor," Cedric said, trying not to grin too widely at the prospect of missing lessons so he could spend the day in Hogsmeade.

"I thought as much. Poppy, would you mind giving us a minute or two?"

Madam Pomfrey looked as though she _did_ mind, but wasn't about to argue with the headmaster.

Once she was in her office, Dumbledore walked over and sat down on the bed next to Hermione's.

"I have sent a message to Snuffles and he will meet you outside Dervish and Bange's in an hour."

Hermione's jaw dropped. "Professor," she glanced at Cedric, who was frowning in confusion.

"I think Mr Diggory can be trusted," he turned to Cedric. "I cannot impress upon you enough, the importance that this secret _remains_ secret, Cedric. Every word that Hermione tells you will be absolutely true and you shall not repeat a word of it to anybody, ever."

Cedric's eyes widened slightly. He glanced towards Hermione. "Is this what you were doing last time? When you said you couldn't say?"

Hermione nodded.

"The house elves are preparing some supplies for you to take with you. I'll have a carriage ready in half an hour to take you into the village. You might want to change out of your school robes. I daresay it will save me many an owl from nosy villagers telling me two of my students are out of bounds."

Hermione nodded and stood up.

"Oh and I _do_ believe that Hortense Harrabonk has released a new book this week. The reviews are saying it's better than _The Poking Pastor. _I should be getting my copy delivered any moment, but I believe there are still a few editions left in Hogsmeade," his blue eyes twinkled knowingly as he looked between Cedric and Hermione.

Cedric jumped to his feet. "Let's go. If we hurry we can get it before we meet Snuffles, or whatever his name is."

Dumbledore smiled warmly as Cedric collected their bags and chivvied Hermione from the hospital wing.

* * *


	10. The Hopping Hag

**A/N:** Oh hai dere! It's been a while, hasn't it? I swear, applying to university and providing them with writing samples (about a woman _digging, _no less) really takes the fun out of writing. Not sure how often I'll be able to update from now on - I'm moving into final major project time so that means actually doing some work - a foreign concept to someone of my laziness. Anyway, I don't think it'll be nearly as long as it was since I last updated, although I have a shed load of DVDs to watch. And very VERY typical - I finished this the day before yesterday and couldn't log in until this evening. Bah. Let me know if you like this one - I'm not too sure. Half of it was written 5 weeks ago and I'm just not too keen on the whole lot but hey ho, never mind. Apologies for the long note.

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

"So who's this Snuffles person, then?" Cedric asked as Hermione climbed carefully through the portrait hole, now wearing a pair of jeans and a red polo shirt, her cloak slung over one arm.

"Can you undo these buttons for me? I can't do it with my hands like this and I'm getting strangled," she gestured towards her tight collar with a bandaged hand.

Cedric grinned and reached forward to undo the top button of her shirt. "I never thought I'd be undressing Hermione Granger in the middle of the corridor, how exciting."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him.

"D'you want me to undo the next one as well?" he asked, smirking a little.

"Yes, if you wouldn't mind," Hermione did her best to keep a straight face, and Cedric shook his head in amusement, undoing the next button.

"Why don't I just undo all of them?" Cedric asked, his fingers poised half an inch away from the button below the one he had just undone.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Come on, Snuffles will be waiting."

"Who _is_ he?"

Hermione said nothing.

* * *

The ride into Hogsmeade was bumpy. Every time Hermione was thrown about the carriage and reflexively put a hand out to stop herself from getting injured, she just ended up hurting her already damaged hands even more.

"So Snuffles is Harry's Godfather," Cedric said slowly. "Right..."

"What you have to understand is that sometimes the truth is a lot harder to believe than rumours. Snuffles...well, he's had a hard life. He was best friends with Harry's dad. _Best_ friends. And they were friends with Professor Lupin and Peter Pettigrew."

Cedric said nothing and Hermione didn't quite know how to continue.

"Peter Pettigrew is still alive," she said in a breathless rush.

Cedric frowned. "What are you -"

"He was working as a spy for Voldemort, he betrayed Harry's parents and it's his fault they're dead. Sirius Black tracked him down for revenge, but Peter just started shouting about how _Sirius_ had betrayed Harry's parents. He had a wand behind his back and he blew up the street, cut his own finger off – you know the biggest piece they found of him was -"

"Yeah, I know," Cedric replied, looking worried. "What are you trying to -"

"Peter Pettigrew murdered twelve people, faked his own death, and Sirius spent twelve years in Azkaban for it," Hermione told him firmly, her voice even, as though the calmer she was, the more easily Cedric would accept the truth.

"Didn't he break out to come after -?"

"Peter. He was an animagus, Ron had him as a pet for years. Sirius saw the press cutting from when Mr Weasley won that money last year and he knew that Peter was so close to Harry and that Harry was in danger. He'd do _anything _for Harry, he really would. Harry's the closest thing to a family he's got, and vice versa."

"So you're telling me," Cedric said slowly, and Hermione could see the cogs turning in his brain as he attempted to process what she had told him, "that we're on our way to see Sirius Black and, what, have a picnic?" he nodded towards the bag on the floor of the carriage which was full to bursting with chicken, bread, flasks of pumpkin juice, chocolate, fruit, a fresh set of robes and a thick purple sleeping bag.

"He's been living off rats. He came back to Hogsmeade after Harry's name came out of the cup. He wants to keep a close eye on him, in case anything happens."

Cedric frowned worriedly. "Do you think something _will_ happen?"

Hermione paused before nodding slowly. "Peter escaped. Last year, that night when Sirius escaped from the grounds, we had Peter, but Professor Lupin... changed and Pettigrew transformed...we lost him. He's probably running around trying to find You-Know-Who as we speak."

"You think You-Know-Who's behind this?" Cedric whispered.

"He's always behind something," Hermione said, biting her lip. "The Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, that was all him. He wants Harry dead more than anything."

"He's still out there then?"

Hermione nodded as the carriage halted abruptly. She checked her watch. "We've got just enough time to go to the bookshop if we're just going to pick up Harrabonk's new book. We'll have to be quick though."

Cedric nodded, threw open the carriage door, getting out first so he could help Hermione out without her hurting her hands.

* * *

"What happened to you? Why aren't you in lessons?" Sirius had transformed and was looking towards Hermione's hands, frowning in concern.

"Bubotuber pus," Hermione told Sirius glumly. "I've been getting some nasty letters lately."

Sirius glanced briefly towards Cedric, who was yet to say anything "Yes, I saw the _Witch Weekly_ article. Been about a bit, haven't you?" he bared his teeth in a grin, a brief flash of the handsomeness of his youth shining through before he sat down on the floor and started unpacking the contents of the bag Hermione and Cedric had brought for him.

"Just because I can barely hold my wand it doesn't mean I won't _try_ to hex you," Hermione said in a sour tone.

Sirius snorted and started eating a leg of chicken. He looked towards Cedric again, who was standing awkwardly at the side of the cave while Hermione and Sirius chatted like there was nothing odd about the situation whatsoever. "I won't kill you," he said cheerfully, "promise. I'm Sirius," he held his spare hand and Cedric shook it.

Cedric managed a smile. "It's a lot to take in, that's all."

Sirius nodded. "At least you haven't tried to kill me. Harry was all ready to blast me into a million pieces when he met me for the first time...well, first time since he was a kid, anyway. How's he getting on, by the way? Honestly?"

"Oh, he's all right. Almost as angry with Rita as I am, anxious for the tournament to be finished, hating Snape just as much as ever -" Sirius made a noise of disgust, "- just the usual. He and Cedric are tied first on points in the tournament though."

"Good. That'll show those clots from the other schools that Hogwarts students are in a different league. They're just a bunch of French fancies at Beauxbatons anyway."

Hermione rolled her eyes and sat down on a large boulder. It wasn't terribly comfortable, but after the long walk up the mountainside it was a relief to rest her legs.

After a few minutes silence, broken only by the sounds of Sirius chewing chicken and unscrewing the top of one of the flasks of pumpkin juice, Sirius spoke again. "How did your date go by the way?"

Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath, determined not to lose her temper. "Any more mentions of my fictional love life and I swear to Merlin -"

"You'll spike my pumpkin juice with a love potion?" Sirius asked teasingly. At the look Hermione gave him, his smile vanished. "Sorry. Been getting a hard time, have you?"

"You could say that," Hermione said stiffly. "I can't go anywhere without _someone_ saying something. The Slytherins are just...well..."

"You want something to shut the Slytherins up?" Sirius asked curiously. "I know for a fact that Narcissa Malfoy hooked up with Rodolphus Lestange long after she got married to Lucius. Nine months later, little Draco pops out, make of that what you will."

Hermione's jaw was practically scraping on the floor of the cave. "Are you being serious?"

Sirius smirked. "Yeah, my cousin Andromeda told me, James and Lils about it. She's Bella and Cissy's sister, but she got blasted off the family tree when she married a muggleborn."

"Wait, so are you related to Malfoy, then?" Hermione asked, her curiosity piqued.

"All the purebloods are related to each other," Sirius said offhandedly. "I'm related to Ron...and Harry, for that matter. James was my second cousin twice removed or something stupid like that. Cedric's my...what, third cousin? Something along those lines. His mum is cousins with Lucius. It's all one big massive inbred family, Hermione. Speaking of which, how _is_ your mum, Cedric? She was in the year above me at school, haven't seen her since Harry's christening."

"She's fine," Cedric replied, seemingly finding the revelation that Sirius had been at school with his mother quite odd.

"She was a good looking girl back in my day," Sirius said, pausing to take a swig of pumpkin juice, "_very_ popular."

"Right," Cedric said, not sure how to respond.

"What about you?" Hermione asked Sirius. "How are you getting on?"

"Same old same old, fishing newspapers out of bins, charming the old girl in the cottage down by the river so she gives me food, scratching my fleas, that sort of thing."

"Isn't there anywhere better for you to stay? I mean, even the Shrieking Shack would -"

"_Snape_ knows how to get into the Shrieking Shack, and if you haven't forgotten, he was quite gleeful when I almost got the kiss last year. I bet he checks it three times a week to see if I've been there," he examined the bare chicken bone in his hand, checking for any more meat. When he was satisfied he'd got it all, he threw it over towards Buckbeak.

"Well...maybe Dumbledore knows somewhere you can stay. You can't carry on living here."

"I'm _fine_, Hermione. Just as long as I'm close by to Harry, I don't care where I sleep."

Hermione sighed as Sirius rummaged through the bag they had brought for him, inspecting its contents more thoroughly.

* * *

"Try not to let them get to you," Sirius said as he got to his feet, "you'll learn to block it out eventually. I've been blocking that kind of thing out for thirteen years."

"When you put it like that it makes my day sound like a walk in the park," Hermione sighed, moving forwards to grab her bag from the floor. Cedric pulled it up and hoisted it over his own shoulder.

"It's just jealousy because she's hanging around with the most handsome bloke in the school. You have to make _some_ sacrifices, Hermione," he said with a cheeky grin.

"If you're the most handsome bloke in the school then I feel sorry for the females of Hogwarts. Now back in my day, the girls had quality blokes to choose from. Real good looking studs, you know what I mean?"

"_Studs_?" Hermione laughed. "Oh _please_."

"James and I were really quite popular, actually. I was almost the most desirable one though, even though James did have the whole 'I'm on the quidditch team which means I'm absolutely wonderful' thing going on."

"Of course, Sirius," Hermione said, giving Buckbeak a final stroke before they left. "I bet you were beating them off with a stick, weren't you?"

"I never had to go _that_ far. I did have to hex Marian Lynn, though. Blimey she was a troll and a half. Wouldn't take no for an answer. Looked like the back end of the Knight Bus."

Hermione merely smiled as Sirius transformed.

* * *

"That was an interesting experience," Cedric commented a few minutes after Sirius had left them outside of Dervish and Bange's.

"It just goes to show how corrupt and unfair the Ministry can be. You know he wasn't even given a trial, let alone a fair one?"

"He seems like a good bloke," Cedric said. "I thought he'd be barking after all those years in Azkaban."

Hermione snorted.

"What?"

"_Barking_. His animagus form is a -"

"Oh shut it..." Cedric replied before she could finish her sentence. "That pun was _not_ intended. I was merely commenting on his surprising grip on reality."

"I know, I know," Hermione replied. "Come on, let's get back to Hogwarts, I'm starving."

"We've got the whole afternoon left," Cedric said.

"Yes, but I'm hungry," Hermione told him, "I didn't get to eat much at breakfast – I was interrupted."

Cedric took her by the arm and gently steered her into the Three Broomsticks. "Let's have some lunch in here. My treat."

"Cedric..."

"I won't take no for an answer," he said firmly, setting their bags down on the bench at one of the small booths and taking Hermione's jacket off of her. "I hear their apple pie is absolutely sublime."

"Don't you remember what happened last time we were in here?" Hermione looked over her shoulder, expecting to see the tacky, bejewelled glasses of Rita Skeeter at any moment. "I don't want her to see me with these," she held up her bandaged hands. "And I doubt I can use a knife and fork without completely embarrassing myself."

"Don't worry, I'll look after you," Cedric replied, smirking a little.

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

Cedric smiled and placed the menu in front of her.

* * *

"Oh come here," Cedric said, sliding his plate aside and pulling Hermione's towards him. He took her knife and fork and cut up her dinner for her, as Hermione looked on feeling more than a little pathetic.

"Thanks," she said quietly as he slid the plate back towards her. She sipped some of her pumpkin juice through her straw and sighed.

"When I was thirteen," Cedric began, swallowing a mouthful of food, "my cousin 'accidentally' vanished three of my fingers. Took a while to get them back and when I did it took even longer for them to respond to my body. Mealtimes were a lot more ridiculous than this, you're managing to cope with a great deal of dignity. I gave up in the end and had one of our house elves feed me."

Hermione frowned.

"We treat them well," Cedric told her, knowing exactly what she was frowning about. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about it."

"Have you always been so patronising?"

"Yes, now stop feeling sorry for yourself."

Hermione smiled reluctantly.

* * *

"You went to see Snuffles with _Diggory_?" Ron demanded.

"Why couldn't I go?" Harry asked disappointedly. "He is _my _ Godfather, after all."

"Dumbledore just sent us because I couldn't go to lessons today and Cedric was the one in the hospital wing with me. It wasn't anything personal, Harry. He was just taking advantage of our spare time so we could take Sirius food and keep him company."

"What if Diggory blabs, though?"

"He won't," Harry said, before Hermione could jump to Cedric's defence. "Cedric's all right, Ron. Dumbledore wouldn't have sent him if he thought there was any chance of him blabbing."

"Yeah, but Dumbledore trusts _Snape_."

"We're yet to see why he shouldn't trust Snape," Hermione said reasonably, preparing herself for the predictable tirade of outrage from Ron and Harry.

Harry merely grimaced as Ron opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to grasp some words that could communicate his displeasure at her opinion.

"Were you actually _in_ the Shrieking Shack in June, Hermione?"

"Snape's judging things on what he _saw_, as would you if you were in the same position he was. Yes, he still hates Sirius because of some pathetic schoolboy jealousy, and yes, the fact that he got excited about Sirius getting the kiss was really quite disgusting, but as far as he knows, Sirius is absolutely, one hundred per cent guilty."

"He was working for _You-Know-Who_, Hermione. He _must_ have known Pettigrew was working for him as well."

"Dumbledore knows more about the situation than you do, Ron, so I think we can trust his judgement until we see any evidence that says otherwise."

"How's Sirius," Harry asked, before Ron could respond.

"He looks healthier than when we last saw him. "Dumbledore gave us some fresh robes and a sleeping bag to take with us as well, so hopefully he'll be a little bit more comfortable."

"When will his food last him to? Should we send some more now?"

"He's got plenty," Hermione said. "At least a couple of days' worth. You don't need to worry just yet."

Harry nodded and ran a hand through his hair, making it even messier than usual.

"He'll be _fine, _Harry."

"I don't want him to get caught, that's all," Harry replied, looking around nervously as though expecting the other Gryffindors to be eavesdropping on them.

* * *

Hermione threw her book down onto the table with a little more force than was really necessary.

"Give it a chance, you can't judge it by the first sentence," Cedric said, looking at over his own copy of _The Hopping Hag_.

"I can't hold the wretched thing, let alone turn the pages," Hermione said hotly, angry tears building in her eyes from frustration.

Cedric sighed. "Those bandages won't be on forever. Try not to let it upset you."

"I can't do _anything_, though. I can't write, I can't hold my wand, I can't _eat_ without someone having to cut up my food, I can't _read_, what's the point of even bothering?"

"You only need to cope for a few days, then the bandages will be off and you'll be back to normal. I never thought Hermione Granger would let _anything_ stand in the way between her and a good book."

"I might as well have no hands at all," Hermione said grumpily, not sharing Cedric's optimism.

"Oh don't be dramatic," Cedric said. "Where are you up to?"

"I barely read the first line," Hermione told him.

"Right, so we'll start from the beginning shall we?" he flipped back a page so he was at the beginning of the first chapter and cleared his throat.

"_Don't judge a wand by its wood,_" Cedric began, reading from the book. "_That's easier said than done, and if I had taken note, I wouldn't be stuck here_."

Hermione let a small smile form on her face made herself comfortable.

* * *

"_And you shall never -_"

Hermione burst out laughing.

"What?" Cedric asked indignantly. "What are you laughing at?"

"What was _that_?" Hermione gasped through her laughter, one bandaged hand resting on top of her now aching ribs.

"It was the warlock's voice," Cedric said blankly, glancing down at the book and then back to Hermione.

Hermione laughed harder.

"How do you think a warlock _should_ sound, then?" Cedric demanded. "I think that's a very reasonable warlock voice. In fact, I think that once this tournament is over I should drop out of Hogwarts and become an actor."

Hermione continued to laugh.

Cedric sighed and closed the book. "Come on, it's late. I'd better walk you back."

"What's the time?" Hermione asked, her laughter stopping quite abruptly.

"Eleven thirty, we'd better be quiet, Filch'll be out hunting."

Hermione snorted.

"Same again tomorrow?" Cedric asked.

"Absolutely."

* * *


	11. Cream Cakes and Crouch

**A/N:** Wow! It's been a while. I apologise. Three months worth of apologies actually. It's been far too long and I'm very sorry. I couldn't decide on what this chapter should be about, then once I did decide I couldn't get the motivation to write it, and then when I did I wrote myself into a corner where I just couldn't seem to progress from so I deleted a pretty big section of it and finished it off this evening. I'm really chuffed with all the reviews that I've had for this story, keep them coming if you're still interested after the absence. I will desperately try not to leave it this long again, but writer's block is an awful awful thing. Exciting bit coming up in the next chapter, I may get onto it now, although I feel a Tom Riddle urge presenting itself. Sorry for the babble, hope you enjoy this and I hope you let me know what you think. =]

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

Soon enough, though probably not as soon as she might have liked, Hermione's hands were blister free and healthy once more. The advantages of this were the fact that she could now eat with dignity, rather than struggling with a knife and fork before giving up and going down to the kitchens to suffer on her own, she was able to write once more, and turning pages in books was easier than blinking. She could also use her wand again, something which she very much appreciated.

There were also disadvantages. Firstly, when she decided to suffer in the kitchens on her own at dinner time, Cedric always arrived a few minutes after, on hand to cut up her meals for her. Now, however, she was able to eat at the Gryffindor table with Harry and Ron, occasionally offer her opinion with regards to the odd goings on and more often than not, reiterate that Snape was trusted by Dumbledore and Dumbledore was not an idiot. Although this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, she did find herself sighing every now and then, her eyes wandering over to the Hufflepuff table, just to catch a glimpse of him.

What it came down to, really, was that Cedric had spoiled her when she had been out of action, and she had grown used to it. He would write her essays for her while she dictated, read to her, using funny and sometimes downright disturbing voices for the characters in the books, as well as making sure she always had an escort between classes, so the Slytherins were not taking advantage of her inability to use her wand.

Sometimes, she had found herself feeling mildly grateful for the pus-drenched letter she had received. When she caught herself thinking like that, she would always tell herself that she was being ridiculous, and that no amount of fussing from anyone, let alone Cedric, would ever make her _grateful_ for what was essentially a dangerous and personal attack based on fabricated stories that a wretched, vicious, insecure, little pathetic woman had penned during the long and lonely hours of her sad and bitter life.

Needless to say, she had enjoyed the fuss, though she'd never admit it aloud, and definitely not to Cedric himself.

She was eating toast one morning, her eyes wandering over to the Hufflepuff table as they were wont to do. Cedric flashed her a smile, then shoved the boy next to him, who was waving at Hermione while feigning a pathetic smile. Whether this was to annoy Cedric or her, Hermione didn't know, but what she did know was that Cedric had knocked half a bowl of cornflakes into his lap and he wasn't laughing as much now.

"Potter, you're to meet with the other champions and Mr Bagman on the Quidditch pitch this evening," Professor McGonagall had stopped at their section of the Gryffindor table on her way out of the Great Hall.

"Are we finding out the next task, Professor?" Harry asked after he had swallowed a mouthful of egg.

"Yes, Potter, you will find out," she had a small smile on her face. "And somehow, I think you may just about cope with this one."

"What, like he _just about coped_ with the other tasks?" Ron snorted.

"I think it's more up Potter's alley than the others were. No hostages to keep you waiting, Potter, remember that, won't you? I'll see you in lessons this afternoon."

Ron gaped as McGonagall strode away, her dark green robes swishing around her ankles. "Did she just make a joke?" he asked, his jaw still hanging low.

"Yes, Ron, it's not illegal, you know," Hermione answered, turning towards Harry. "What d'you think it is?"

"I don't know," Harry said with a shrug. "Could be anything, couldn't it? Maybe we've got to capture a chimaera or something."

Ice plunged through Hermione's body. "No no, don't say that," she said quickly. "Why are you meeting on the Quidditch pitch? Why not in here? Why not in that little room you all went to after you were chosen."

"Weather's nice now," Ron commented. "Maybe Bagman thought it'd be nice to get a bit of fresh air rather than staying in the castle."

"I doubt it," Hermione replied.

Harry shrugged and turned back to his breakfast.

"Whatever it is, you're to tell us as soon as you get back and we can start helping you prepare for it. Perhaps this is a task that needs planning carefully. I mean, you've had thinking under pressure, you've had a puzzle, and you've had dealing with magical creatures, what with the grindylows and merpeople. Perhaps they're telling you early because you need to plan it carefully. Perhaps this is a strategic task."

"Yeah, well we'll find out, won't we?" Harry said offhandedly, picking up his goblet so he could take a sip of pumpkin juice. "Come on," he said to Ron, "we'll be late for Divination if we don't go now. See you at lunch."

"Yes, all right," Hermione sighed, reaching forward for the marmalade.

A piece of parchment fluttered down onto the table in front of her as she spread the marmalade on her toast. Frowning, she picked it up and unfolded it.

_Kitchens at 10pm?_

Hermione looked over to the Hufflepuff table, recognising the handwriting immediately, for it was the same handwriting that several of her essays had been written in for the last few weeks. Cedric, eyebrows raised questioningly, was looking over at her, waiting for an answer.

Hermione nodded and he turned away.

* * *

"Harry's not back yet," she said as she sat down on the steps next to him. She took an éclair from the plate that was immediately offered to her without even thinking and took a small bite from it, chewing thoughtfully.

"Really?" Cedric frowned. "We finished about an hour ago. He should be back by now."

Hermione tried to ignore the feeling of dread that swooped through her body. She knew she would feel very silly if she started worrying that Harry had been kidnapped, murdered or tortured, only to find that he'd merely gone to the library before returning the the common room. Even so, he hadn't returned to the common room by the time she had left, and if they had finished an hour ago...

"Probably just gone for a walk. Isn't he seeing one of the Patil twins?" Cedric asked in an attempt to steer the conversation away from anything that might involve Harry being in trouble, realising that Hermione's lip was going to end up rather messy if she continued to chew on it in such a worried manner.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "If by 'seeing' you mean he convinced Parvati to go to the Yule Ball with him then barely said a word to her all night, which, by the way, was months ago, then yes, yes he is seeing her. If, however, you mean 'is he going out with Parvati' then no, no he's not."

"Blimey, I only asked."

Hermione sighed and stared glumly at her éclair.

"Don't worry about him. Just because somebody tries to kill him every single bloody year it doesn't mean it's going to be tonight. Probably next week or something," he shot her a winning smile but it dropped when she didn't express any sign of remote amusement.

"Can I gets you anything else, Sir and Miss?" Dobby had trotted over. "More éclairs? We has tea if you is thirsty?"

"No, thanks, Dobby," Hermione replied absently. "I don't suppose you know where Harry is, do you?"

Dobby looked around carefully, as though checking for eavesdroppers. "I took Professor Dumbledore's evening tea up to him, eight o'clock, he always has tea and biscuits. Minister Fudge was there," he looked around again and lowered his voice to a whisper so Hermione and Cedric had to lean forward to hear, "they was saying something about an attack on Mister Krum, but house elves do not listen in on private conversations, you must understand!"

"Somebody attacked Viktor?" Hermione gasped.

"Stunned," Dobby replied quietly, "but that's not the worst of it."

Hermione looked towards Cedric, who had his mouth hanging open slightly, anxiously waiting to hear the rest of what Dobby had to say.

"What's the worst of it?" he asked.

"Winky's old master," Dobby said, in a whisper so quiet that Hermione could barely hear him. "According to Master Harry, he was on the grounds, and he was mad, but you mustn't tells Winky! She will be drinking even more Butterbeers than ever if she finds out!"

"Mad in what way?" Hermione asked.

"He was shouting, and Master Harry had said that he looked like he'd escaped from a prison. Then he started talking to a tree, pretending it was a person. But you mustn't tells Winky! You mustn't!"

"_Okay_, Dobby, okay!" Hermione hissed quietly. "We won't say a word! But what happened? Is Harry all right?"

"Master Harry ran to get Professor Dumbledore. Left Mister Krum with Mister Crouch. When he got back with Professor Dumbledore, Mister Krum was stunned and Mister Crouch had gone," Dobby retreated slightly, signalling the end of his story. His eyes were wide as he watched Hermione, who was chewing at her lip nervously.

"Are they searching for him?" Hermione asked.

Dobby nodded.

"He wasn't at the second task," Cedric said quietly. "If he was being held captive..."

"Then that's probably why he couldn't make it. But to get all the way here from London...I don't imagine he was in any fit state to apparate and you can't -"

"Apparate inside the grounds, I know," Cedric finished her sentence for her.

Hermione looked mildly surprised.

"I've read _Hogwarts: A History_, you know. You're not the only one who has."

"It feels like I am sometimes," Hermione replied, with a slight hint of bitterness at her fellow students' lack of interest in their school.

Cedric rolled his eyes. "Where's Harry now?" he asked. "Is he still with Dumbledore?"

Dobby shrugged. "Master Harry was there at half past nine."

"Could you check if he's still there?" Hermione asked.

"I can check when I takes Professor Dumbledore his hot water bottle. But not before, Miss."

"Well how long will that be?" Cedric asked, looking towards the big clock on the wall. "When does he normally have it?"

"Half past eleven. I prepares it at twenty minutes past, and then take it up to him at half past."

"Well that's no good," Hermione sighed. "I'm going to go back to the common room to see if he's there."

She got up, and Cedric stood also. "You're not walking back on your own. Not if Krum's been attacked, and definitely not if there's a madman roaming the grounds."

"I'm perfectly capable of handling myself," Hermione retorted, feeling a strong urge to prove that she was not a weak ad feeble little girl. "I'm not -"

"If there are dark wizards on the prowl then I will not sleep safely in my bed unless I know you are safely tucked away in Gryffindor tower, is that understood?"

Hermione couldn't argue with him, didn't _want_ to argue with him. Not that she'd ever admit it, but her stomach had turned over in an almost pleasant sort of way when he'd said he wouldn't be able to sleep unless he knew she was safe. Rolling her eyes as Cedric grabbed the last two éclairs on the plate and handed one to her, the pair of them left the kitchen hurriedly.

"What's the third task?" Hermione asked as they walked. "You never said."

"It's a maze," Cedric said, wiping a splodge of cream from his lip and licking it off of his finger. "Obstacles, etcetera, cup's in the centre. Should be a diddle," his mind clearly wasn't on the task as they climbed the stairs, Cedric taking two at a time in long strides as Hermione jogged along behind him.

"Don't get complacent," she warned. "This tournament is dangerous. They should never have brought it back and they most definitely should never have let Harry compete."

"Left or right here?" Cedric asked, completely ignoring what she had just said.

"Right," Hermione replied with a frown. "It's just up here."

After a few moments, they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, who raised an eyebrow at Cedric's presence. "What are you two doing out so late? And why are you so out of breath?"

Hermione ignored her and said the password, causing the Fat Lady to purse her lips disapprovingly before swinging open.

"I'll be back in a second," she told Cedric, who nodded and leant against the wall. She disappeared through the portrait hole and the Fat Lady swung shut behind her.

"So," said Cedric, charming smile in place, his eyes twinkling cheerfully as addressed the Fat Lady, "what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

The Fat Lady giggled.

* * *

Harry was sitting with Ron over on one of the window sills, deep in conversation, only noticing Hermione when she was standing right next to them.

"Come outside," she said quietly. "Cedric's waiting, Dobby told us about Viktor and Crouch."

"What's Diggory got to do with this?" Ron demanded with a scowl.

"He's a friend," Harry said sternly. "Besides, if Krum was attacked, who's to say the other champions aren't in danger?"

Hermione whimpered. "Don't say that, Harry, for Merlin's sake, don't say that."

Harry looked at her but didn't reply. He and Ron both stood and the three of them made their way back out of the portrait hole, where Cedric was waiting patiently, listening to the Fat Lady babble on about Violet's affair with Lancelot back in the eighteenth century.

"We need somewhere more private to talk," Harry said quietly.

Cedric nodded in agreement.

"The Shack?" Ron suggested.

Cedric frowned. "The Shrieking Shack?"

"Don't worry," Harry told him, "long story. We're not going outside of the castle either, it's too dangerous."

"Kitchens?" Cedric said. "That's where we were just now, I don't think the house elves will care too much if we talk in there."

"Oh you were just there were you?" Ron asked airily. "How nice for you."

Cedric frowned slightly before he looked at Harry, awaiting a response.

"Kitchens sound good to me," Harry said, and he turned and set off at a quick pace, Ron walking briskly beside him.

"Come again soon, won't you dear?" the Fat Lady cooed at Cedric.

He smiled a slightly awkward, but nevertheless winning smile at the portrait before turning back to Hermione who had an eyebrow raised.

"Some of us are just irresistible to all mediums," he said with a shrug.

* * *

"So do you think Crouch attacked Krum?"

Harry shook his head. "Even if he tried to, Krum was more than a match for him. I doubt Crouch could even remember the incantation for a stunning spell, let alone get Krum's wand off him and use it against him."

"It must have been someone who didn't want Crouch reaching Dumbledore. What did Crouch say _exactly_?" Hermione asked.

Harry sighed, having repeated himself several times over the past hour as his cup of tea grew steadily colder. "He was incoherent. Talking about a terrible mistake, then he just snapped completely and started talking to a tree about his wife and his son, but they've both been dead for a long time now...a long time. And he acted as though Percy was there, well, '_Weatherby_'." Harry didn't say this with any hint of amusement. Suddenly Percy's new name wasn't funny at all anymore. Suddenly Crouch's constant mistakes were glaring signs of stress, memory loss, perhaps even a sign of the Imperius curse.

Dobby apparated into the kitchens with a loud _crack_, causing Hermione to knock her pumpkin juice over with a clatter. Cedric cleared up the mess with a wave of his wand.

"Professor Dumbledore requests that you continue your conversations tomorrow," Dobby said squeakily. "He is going to his bed now and thinks it best that you do the same, sirs and miss."

Harry sighed. "Okay Dobby. We'll go. See you around."

Dobby's chest puffed with pride at being addressed directly by Harry. "Professor Dumbledore also requests that you sees that Master Diggory gets back to his common room safely, because safety has numbers."

Both Ron and Cedric protested at this.

"Oh come _on_," Ron said, "if the pretty boy can't look after himself he shouldn't be in the tournament anyway."

"_Ron!_" Hermione shrieked. "If a fully qualified wizard such as Mr Crouch can be attacked then so can Cedric! Viktor was attacked only a few hours ago. It could be someone inside the castle for all we know."

"They've probably legged it," Cedric said. "If they've got Crouch they're not going to hang around while Dumbledore's going to be scouring the grounds for him. I'll be fine. You three head straight back to the common room. Don't stop, don't take any detours and don't get into any trouble."

"Who are you to give us orders?" Ron snapped.

"Dumbledore wants us to make sure Cedric gets back all right, so we will," Harry said, his voice calm and level. Both Cedric and Ron turned to look at him. "If there are dark wizards anywhere near this castle then we need to stick together. The tournament doesn't matter." This last sentence was directed mostly at Ron. He then turned to Cedric. "And I don't care how old you are, how many hexes you know, whatever, we're walking you back."

"Well said Harry."

"All right, fine. But it's only two minutes away from here, there's not much -"

"If it's only two minutes then it'll barely delay us to walk you back," Hermione said bossily, standing up and making her way over towards the door. "Goodnight Dobby!"

"Goodnight, sirs and miss!


	12. Dread and Dreams

**A/N:** What's this? Two chapters in one weekend? (I count it as a weekend because I don't go to college on Fridays or Mondays AND it is a bank holiday weekend AND I want myself to sound extra good). Does it sort of make up for not posting for almost three months? I hope so. If not, don't worry, with any luck I'll be able to make it up to you by the end of the week. If the story isn't finished, there will at least be ONE new chapter. I got all happy and excited at the end of this chapter and actually aawed. I never aaw at my own writing, but I liked this fluffy moment. Anyway, hope you're all having a good bank holiday Monday/memorial day weekend/Monday in general. Thanks for the reviews from last chapter - this is now my most reviewed story ever, having surpassed Restricted. Thank you for that, thank you ever so much. Now all that's left for me to say is I hope you enjoy the chapter and I hope you let me know what you think. Oh, and one last thing, ginnylovesharry07 made a lovely banner for this story, and I'm just about to post a link on my profile so you can all see it. =]

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

There were no real developments on the Crouch incident other than that Percy had been pulled in for questioning and the Ministry of Magic were now actively searching for Crouch. It seemed as though the man had disappeared into thin air without anybody seeing him for months. No more champions had been attacked, so Hermione's level of worry around the matter gradually fell.

However, it was steadily rising as each day they drew closer to the third and final task of the Triwizard tournament. The only silver lining on the very dark and ominous cloud was that after the third task it would all be over. She threw herself into library sessions, making notes on all kind of hexes and jinxes that Harry could find useful in the maze, then putting them into practise during intense preparation sessions during break times, lunch times, and spare times. As a result of this, she barely saw Cedric during the week that followed Crouch's disappearance, and they kept in touch mostly by little notes passed during meal times, or else when they accidentally on purpose crossed each other's paths between lessons.

From the sounds of it, Cedric too had been practising all sorts of spells. He had confessed in one of his notes that he actually felt like he had a chance of winning, now he was so close to the finishing post. Hermione could honestly say she didn't care who won, just as long as everybody came out of it one piece. Of course it would be nice if it was a Hogwarts victory, but she would not be shedding any tears if the cup went to Durmstrang or Beauxbatons.

Ron joined her at the dinner table on Wednesday evening. Alone.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked curiously, looking around to see if he was anywhere in the vicinity.

"You haven't heard?"

"What?"

"He collapsed in Divination," Ron said in a hushed voice. "He was screaming and shouting and then he woke up, said he was fine, and legged it. I've been to the hospital wing and he's not there."

Hermione frowned. "Was his scar hurting again?"

"I dunno, he wouldn't say."

"Did it _seem_ like it was, though?"

"I...yeah, could have been. I don't know."

"He might have gone to Dumbledore," Hermione reasoned, pushing her plate away from her and glancing towards the teachers' table. "He's not at dinner yet, I think we should go and check."

Ron nodded and they left the Great Hall quickly.

* * *

"No competition, honestly, I can't believe he had a _fit_ in Trelawney's class! I mean, I can't stand the old bag but to go nuts like that...still, maybe he won't even compete if he's unstable."

"He's not unstable," a firm voice replied.

"Well, mad or not, you'll be able to beat him Ced."

"He's not mad," Cedric told the other boy. "Leave him alone. He's got a lot of rubbish to deal with."

"Oh I can't believe you're sticking up for him," another boy said. "You probably believe he didn't enter himself into the tournament as well, don't you?"

"He didn't."

"Oh Ced, you _are_ naïve."

"Just lay off him, all right?"

Hermione didn't have to see the boys that Cedric was with to know that they rolled their eyes at this statement. Ron frowned slightly as they slowed down their pace, not particularly wanting to walk in on a conversation about how mentally sound their best friend was.

"How're things going with Granger?" a boy with a nasally voice asked.

Hermione stopped dead.

"What d'you mean?" Cedric asked blankly.

"Well, have you copped off with her yet? Found some secret little corner of the library to have a bit of a feel?"

Ron stepped forward sharply but Hermione grabbed the back of his robes.

"You know it is possible to have a conversation with a girl and enjoy it," Cedric said. "Tongues can be used for talking as well, you know."

"I can think of a whole host of other things I'd rather have a girl use her tongue for," there was a chorus of laughter.

"Sometimes, I think if we all met now, we wouldn't be friends," Cedric retorted.

"Ooh! Don't get your knickers in a twist!"

Cedric huffed and the sound of brisk footsteps began to echo down the corridor. When his eyes met hers, Hermione froze, not knowing how to react. Would he think she'd been eavesdropping? Technically she had, but she hadn't set out to. She just hadn't wanted to interrupt the conversation.

"We were going to see Dumbedore," she said lamely.

Cedric opened and closed his mouth several times. He seemed unable to get his mouth around any words that might have been a sufficient reply. Finally, he settled on "sorry about them."

"It's all right," Hermione replied. "I get that sort of rubbish all the time."

Cedric sent her an apologetic smile before his expression turned more serious. "Is Harry all right? I heard about the er..."

"We haven't seen him. We were just going to look for him," Ron told him. "Before we heard those dung heads talking rubbish about him. And then about Hermione," his face was set in a scowl and Cedric's look of guilt returned.

"I have told them to -"

"We know," Hermione said kindly, "we heard you sticking up for him. Thanks."

Cedric sighed and ran a hand through his hair, his hand coming to rest on the back of his neck. "Well, I won't keep you any longer, go and find him. Let me know if he's all right, will you?" This last sentence was spoken to Hermione who nodded.

* * *

"You saw You-Know-Who?" Ron asked in a hushed voice.

The common room had cleared now; it was gone midnight, and the only sound other than the hushed conversation that they were having was the sporadic crackle and hiss from the fire, which was slowly dying as they spoke.

"It was...I don't know, it's all slipping away now," Harry rubbed his scar roughly.

"And your scar hurt?" Hermione asked, frowning as she tried to process all the information she had gathered since they had found Harry wandering back from Dumbledore's office via a more secluded and long winded route, so as to avoid the jeers from the other students.

"Hurt is a bit of an understatement," Harry replied with a sigh, ruffling his hair, "I yelled out, I can't believe it, it's so embarrassing, and now everyone thinks I'm some sort of head case."

"Well that doesn't matter," Hermione told him matter-of-factly. "They thought you were the heir of Slytherin in second year, yet you were the one who _killed_ the basilisk. What do they know? What _really_ matters is that this, this dream, this vision, whatever you want to call it, showed You-Know-Who with people who could help him regain power. If it _is_ real, if what you saw wasn't just a nightmare, then that's definitely a much more pressing concern than whether you're a head case or not."

"That was supposed to make me feel better? Voldemort's coming back but never mind 'cause when he does everyone will realise that I'm not insane? Thanks, Hermione, thanks a lot."

"It wasn't _supposed_ to make you feel better. It was supposed to put things into perspective. I know it's difficult to have the whole school talking about you, but it'll blow over. Playground gossip always does."

"Oh yeah? So how comes I heard one of the Hufflepuffs say they saw you and Cedric snogging outside the Hufflepuff common room?" Harry asked, looking over at Hermione.

Hermione's jaw dropped. "You heard _what_?"

"See? It hasn't blown over, it's just been pushed back a few pages. Headlines are that I'm a nutter, but there's always a small feature about what you and Cedric _apparently_ get up to."

Hermione sighed and sunk low in her armchair, tapping her fingers on the worn red fabric.

"You got off with Diggory outside the Hufflepuff common room?" Ron asked, scowling.

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't even know where the Hufflepuff common room is."

Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "And the fact that they said you were outside the Hufflepuff common room is the biggest untruth in that piece of gossip?"

Hermione gave him a death glare.

"Right, sorry, I know that you have never gone any closer to Cedric than is strictly appropriate, and therefore you have never snogged him. Okay?"

Hermione huffed.

"Time for bed, I think," Harry said quietly, getting up and stepping carefully over Hermione's stretched out legs. "Night, Hermione."

Hermione huffed again and Harry started climbing the stairs to the boys dormitories, Ron following on after bidding her goodnight.

Hermione remained by the fire for a few more minutes before she too left to go to bed, unintentionally stomping on each step as she climbed the stairs to her dormitory.

Snogging Cedric outside of the Hufflepuff common room _indeed._

It was true though, she _didn't_ know where the Hufflepuff common room was.

* * *

"You look a bit peaky," Cedric commented, frowning a little in concern before he took a large bite out of his éclair. There was no nonsense this time. No picking, no licking, no dissecting, just straightforward munching.

"You'd look peaky too if you'd been stunned as many times as I have today."

"Ah," Cedric replied knowingly, "been practising?"

Hermione nodded. "He's more or less got the hang of them all now. We're going to do a little polishing on _Impedimenta_ tomorrow lunch time, but that's all that's left now really."

"Don't teach him too much, I would _like_ a chance at winning," he smiled good naturedly. "Eat something, you look ill."

Hermione shook her head.

"I didn't see you at dinner, have you even eaten at all today?"

"_Yes_," Hermione said with a defensive tone. "I had some toast at breakfast."

"And..."

Hermione looked away sheepishly. "I've been in the library a lot today, trying to find anything that'll get him through this horrid tournament alive. I couldn't possibly eat anyway, I feel too anxious."

"I think you should go to Madam Pom -"

"I'm _fine_, Cedric. It'll all be over tomorrow so I'll be able to eat properly once it's all finished. Merlin knows I've been waiting this to end since it began. I just have to make it through tomorrow without having a panic attack and all will be fine."

"You're more nervous than I am," Cedric said with a smile. "There's nothing to worry about, honestly."

"None of you seem to realise that you could get very badly hurt!" Hermione said hysterically. "They've cancelled this tournament a dozen times before because people competing have been badly hurt, or _killed_, yet none of you seem to take this into account! The last time it was cancelled was because one of the students was _eaten by a manticore_!"

"Well I don't think Dumbledore will have any manticores in the maze," Cedric said with a chuckle.

"Why not? He had dragons! Why not throw a couple of acromantula in there too? Why not a chimaera? Hell, if Harry hadn't killed that basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets he could have let that in one the fun as well!"

"Calm down," Cedric told her. "Dumbledore wouldn't put any of us in any situation if he didn't think we could handle it. He would never put any of us in danger. _Never_."

Hermione's erratic breathing began to slow a little and Dobby trotted up to her with a tray.

"Dobby heard miss has gone without dinner. Dobby has dinner for miss."

Before she could even protest, Cedric had taken the tray from Dobby, thanked the elf, set it down on Hermione's lap and given her a look that informed her that she would not be able to leave the kitchen before she had consumed a sufficient amount of the large meal resting on her knees.

"I'm just so _worried,_" she told him, in between mouthfuls of broccoli. She hadn't realised that she was really quite hungry until the first mouthful of food, and in her haste to convey to Cedric just how anxious she really was, she was eating at three times the speed she usually did, earning herself a raised eyebrow from Cedric.

"You don't need to worry. Honestly. I'm going to be fine, Harry's going to be fine, everyone's going to be fine. It's not like it used to be, so just sit back and enjoy it tomorrow."

"Professor McGonagall didn't want Harry to compete," Hermione said sulkily, as though everything Professor McGonagall said was absolutely one hundred per cent unquestionably true.

"Yes, but that was _before_, Harry's proved himself to be quite the worthy champion since then. I didn't _see_ what happened with that horntail but I heard Bagman's commentary when I was in the tent. Sounded quite epic if you ask me."

"There's still the matter of who put his name in that goblet," Hermione told him, cutting up her chicken roughly. "Whoever did it didn't do it so Harry could have a jolly good time and possibly win a thousand galleons, they did it because they know how dangerous it is. Because they know he could get hurt. He could _die_."

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione!" Cedric half yelled. "Harry is not going to die! Yes, he does have a trouble magnet attached to him, but he's in this just the same as the rest of us. No one can hurt him in that maze, it's been set up by the Ministry," he seemed to be labouring under the false impression that the Ministry was the most trusted authority in the whole world, but since the debacle with Sirius's false imprisonment, (which Hermione blamed on the absence of _any_ sort of trial, let alone a fair one) Bertha Jorkins' disappearance as well as Mr Crouch's _and_ Cornelius Fudge's clear lack of rational thought, Hermione didn't place much trust in the Ministry at all.

She didn't respond to Cedric, just continued eating her late dinner in silence while Cedric began picking apart an éclair. After a minute or so of fiddling he set the ruined cream cake down on his plate and sighed. "I'm sorry I shouted," he said.

Hermione looked towards him, a questioning look on her face.

"I am, honestly. It's just not all that comforting when the most intelligent and logical witch in the whole castle is absolutely positive that someone is going to die in that maze tomorrow."

Hermione's expression softened into a slightly guilty look. "I didn't mean to worry you," she said. "And you don't need to apologise, you didn't shout."

"I did. Sort of. I was horrible."

Hanging around with Harry and Ron, who both had very short fuses coupled with raging hormones meant that she was used to angry outbursts, and was also prone to a few herself. This apology from Cedric for barely even raising his voice above a normal talking volume had caught her rather off guard.

"You weren't horrible. I _know_ I'm being silly about this whole thing, but I'm just worried because nobody _else_ seems to be concerned that it's _dangerous_. Nobody seems concerned about the fact that Harry didn't put his name in the goblet, that Barty Crouch has been held captive somewhere and has quite clearly lost his marbles, and no one seems worried about the fact that Harry's scar has been playing up more than ever this year. _And_ I'm worried about you, and Viktor, and Fleur as well because where Harry's concerned, if people get in the way, whether they want to or not, they get hurt. If You-Know-Who _is _behind this, he won't care who he has to get rid of to get to Harry. He killed Harry's parents without a second thought, he's not going to care if a couple of Triwizard champions are about. The only person who _does_ seem worried is Sirius. He seems to be the only one thinking all of this through, but who's going to listen to a convicted mass murderer?"

"Not many people," Cedric agreed. "Just...try not to worry too much, will you? I know you probably _won't_ listen to me, but just try, please? You'll feel better, I'll feel better, Harry's probably paranoid enough as it is without you doing extra worrying for him. Maybe you should get some Anxieteeze from Madam Pomfrey. I'll take you down there now if you like, Prefects are allowed to escort students after curfew."

"It's after curfew?" Hermione asked, looking around the kitchens for a clock.

Cedric pulled his sleeve back to glance at his watch. "Almost," he told her. "For fourth years, anyway."

"I'd best get back," she said, setting her almost finished dinner to one side. "If I don't get a chance to speak to you tomorrow -"

"If you say 'good luck' that's fine, but if you say 'don't die' then that's not fine," Cedric warned her, a small smile curving his lips slightly upwards.

Hermione looked away awkwardly. "I don't want anyone to get hurt," her voice was slightly thick as she began to imagine all the possible horrific consequences of the following evening.

Cedric reached out a hand and gently turned her face to look at him. "No one's going to get hurt," he said quietly, "I promise."

He was very close. That was all Hermione could think of. He was very very very very close. Incredibly close. And he was getting closer.

And closer.

* * *

She stared at the canopy of her four poster, running through what had happened in her mind. She had intended to consider it from a serious point of view, but all she could do was play the memory on a loop in her mind, concentrating on all the different senses each time, whether it was the feel of the slight stubble that was starting to grow on his jaw, or the smell of his aftershave and shampoo, the warm, comforting feeling of his hand in her hair, keeping her face close to his, the sheepish grin he'd given her afterwards, the way he'd walked a little bit closer to her than usual as he walked her back to the common room...

Hermione bit her lip.

"_You don't seem half as worried now." The smug smile on his face didn't irritate her._

The feeling of worry had suddenly, in an instant, become a foreign, long and distant memory. She wasn't worried. Not one bit.

As she relived the memory for the dozenth time, she remembered one, very important detail.

He had tasted of éclairs.

Hermione Granger was not one for giggling, but as she rolled over and buried her face in her pillow, she made an exception.


	13. The Third Task

**A/N:** Wowzers! Another chapter! I sat down a couple of hours ago and decided to make a start, and 9 pages, a glass of diet coke, some thai sweet chilli Walkers sensations and some GoF canon-checking later, here I am, posting! Yes, it may be 4.30pm and yes I may still be in my pyjamas, but I am rather good, no? Hahah. Anyway, I'd like to thank you all for the lovely reviews from the last chapter. It does make me LOL that 90% of the reviews this fic has had feature the phrase 'don't kill Cedric!'. We're very nearly at the end. I think. You'll be put out of your misery soon enough. Anyway, it is time for you to read and enjoy. Let me know what you think! =]

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

The morning of the final task brought with it sunshine, a cloudless sky, and an unforgiving feeling of dread. Hermione's carefree attitude had vanished, just like the night time sky.

She tried to think of pleasant things as she showered and dressed: Harry lifting the cup, Cedric lifting the cup, Cedric kissing her last night. Nothing, however, was enough. She still brushed her teeth with a nervous, shaky hand, her stomach was tighter than a coiled spring and her bottom lip was taking a severe battering from her front teeth.

She arrived at breakfast, forcing herself to breathe normally, in, out, in, out, but what should have been a reflex, a side effect to being alive, was somehow like trying to push a boulder up a hill while trying to solve an arithmancy equation in her head. In other words, incredibly difficult.

"Morning," Harry said calmly, looking up as she arrived at their spot on the Gryffindor table.

"How are you feeling?" Hermione managed to choke out. He looked like he was coping a hell of a lot better than she was, and she couldn't help but feel jealous.

"All right, I s'pose," Harry replied, buttering some toast. "Just want to get it over with, really."

Hermione sat down next to him, looked around at what breakfast had to offer, before deciding she felt far too queasy to attempt eating.

"You're not worried, are you?" Harry asked. "Although I suppose that's a stupid question."

Hermione didn't answer.

"It'll be fine. The first task was fine, the second task was fine, and this task will be fine. Now have some breakfast and enjoy your History of Magic exam."

Hermione groaned. Harry's eyebrows raised slightly.

"Don't tell me you'd forgotten?"

"Of course I hadn't forgotten," Hermione snapped, "but it's not been top of my list of priorities." She reached under the table to grab her bag and pulled from it a heavy book detailing every single incident of the goblin rebellion in 1643. She opened it to the first page and began skimming through all the information as fast as she possibly could.

Harry shook his head and turned back to his breakfast, chatting with Dean and Seamus about the task, and the plans that had been made for a party in Gryffindor tower that night once Harry had won.

"Don't plan anything yet," Harry said sheepishly, "there's still a whole task left."

"Yeah," reasoned Dean, "but you stopped You-Know-Who from getting that magic stone in first year, this'll be a piece of cake, just you wait and see."

Harry smiled awkwardly.

Hermione had almost finished the first chapter when something hovered into her line of sight. She looked up with a frown and saw a bacon sandwich hovering in front of her, steaming hot, butter slightly melted from the heat of the bacon. The plate moved closer to her and Hermione's frown deepened. She didn't even need to look over to the Hufflepuff table (yet she did, she couldn't resist) to know that Cedric's wand was pointing in the direction of the sandwich, a wide grin spread across his face.

Hermione shook her head and went back to her reading, but the plate came and settled itself on top of the book. When she went to move it, it would not budge. She looked over at Cedric again and his smile had been replaced by a more serious expression. She imagined he was trying to convey the words 'eat it or face my wrath' with this look, but it was difficult to take him seriously when his friends were pulling faces at her from behind his back.

After several attempts to continue with her last minute revision, Hermione gave in and ate the sandwich speedily, wishing for nothing more than to get back to her revision so she would enter Professor Binns' class at least mildly prepared.

Her reading was interrupted once more when Professor McGonagall approached the table.

"Potter, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the hall after breakfast," she told him.

Harry's eyes widened. "The task's not until tonight though, is it?"

"No, but the champions' families are invited to watch the final task. You're exempt from exams so you may as well spend the morning with them."

Harry's face fell. "Well what's the point in _me_ going?"

"No arguments Potter. Though I'd suggest you wipe that scrambled egg off of your robes before you leave the table."

Harry looked down to see a lump of scrambled egg settled nicely on a fold in his robes. "Thanks," he muttered, flicking it off.

"Oi!" Ron exclaimed, brushing it off of his plate where it had landed. "Careful!"

"Does she honestly think the Dursleys are going to come? As if they'd come all this way _just_ to wish me luck in a tournament that they don't even know exists."

"You'd best go," Hermione said, "the last thing you need is for McGonagall to get uppity with you because you've ditched a champions meeting. They might be telling you something about the task tonight."

"Yeah, I s'pose," Harry agreed with a sigh. "I'll go now, get it over with."

Hermione fought through her worry to smile at him, in what she hoped was a comforting way.

"See you later," Ron said, "Meet you in the entrance hall at break?"

Harry nodded and dragged his feet towards the chamber.

The morning paper landed on the table, narrowly missing a jug of pumpkin juice, but sending Neville's cereal flying. Ron picked it up, still eating his breakfast with his spare hand.

"Oh no..." he laid the newspaper flat on the table so Hermione could see the headline.

_HARRY POTTER, DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS_

The bacon sandwich almost made an unwelcome encore. When she had regained the ability to form words, Hermione spoke with clenched fists. "That vile, evil, wicked old hag!" she hissed. "On the day of the third task as well! How could she?"

"What worries me is the fact that she knows about what happened in Divination," Ron murmured, reading through the article quicker than Hermione had ever see him read anything before.

"She knows? Actually knows? It wasn't just one of the Slytherins gossiping to her?"

"It's like she saw it," Ron replied, shaking his head and folding the paper in half, as though if he couldn't see the story, he could pretend it hadn't been written. "Obviously she's added a bit of drama, 'cause that's what she does, but I'd say about ten per cent of it is fact. Must be a record for her."

"_How_ though?" Hermione moaned. "How could she see it? Dumbledore won't let her on the grounds!"

"You tell me," Ron said, "you were the one who was supposed to be researching magical methods of...beetling, was it?"

"_Bugging_," Hermione corrected. Suddenly her stomach seemed to unclench, her teeth paused, giving her bottom lip a well earned break from all the worried chewing, and an odd sort of calm seemed to wash over her as a light bulb switched on inside her head.

"I'll see you in class," she said hurriedly, dashing from the Great Hall, ignoring Ron's shouts about their History of Magic exam.

She arrived in the library with seven minutes to spare before her exam was due to start, darted between the tables as quickly as she could without being thrown out by Madam Pince, and hurried her way over to the Animagi section. She didn't even bother to take her chosen book to a table to read it, just held it open in her arms, bouncing slightly on the balls of her feet as she read, head nodding as she tried to process the information.

Five minutes left, and it would take at least three and a half to get to Binns' classroom.

Hastily, she flicked through the shelf, trying to find the register. She passed through dozens of books, some with dust on, some with greasy fingerprints loitering on the spine, some with pumpkin juice stains, some with other, unpleasant sorts of stains, until finally, she came across a thin folder.

_Animagi Registry_

_1846 – Present_

_Do not remove from library._

Hermione opened the folder with a little less care than she would normally have taken and ran her finger down to the bottom of the scroll of parchment until she reached _Minerva McGonagall: Cat – tabby, silver, spectacle markings around eyes._

There were only a dozen names entered after Professor McGonagall's, (though there should have been at least three more) and as Hermione scanned down the list, it became glaringly obvious that there was one very important name missing.

Hermione smiled in triumph.

She had her.

* * *

"Hermione was never my girlfriend, Mrs Weasley," Harry said at break as they walked around the courtyard, "and she's not going out with Cedric either, they're just friends. Rita Skeeter writes a bunch of lies."

"Oh, I know that dear, of course I do," Mrs Weasley said with a kind smile.

Hermione doubted this, because after what Harry had said, Mrs Weasley became much, much warmer towards her.

"Yeah mum," Bill chimed in, "didn't you see what she wrote about Harry this morning?"

Hermione looked sharply at Bill and shook her head quickly. Bill bit his lip, realising he'd put his foot right in it. Slap bang, in the middle, right up to the knee in it.

Harry stopped walking and turned around. "She's written something else?"

"It's nothing, Harry," Hermione told him, wishing she was a more competent liar. "You don't need to worry about it."

"Potter! I think they've got a special ward waiting for you in St Mungo's!" Malfoy called across the courtyard. Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly and the three of them stalked off into the castle, pulling faces at Harry, shouting about 'nutters' and 'freaks'.

Harry ignored him, his attention remaining on Hermione. "If it's nothing to worry about then it won't matter if I read it."

"Nah mate," Ron said casually, "just a load of old rubbish. She just wants to add some spice to the tournament. Nothing special. Not worth the parchment it's written on."

Harry sighed. "_Accio Daily Prophet!_" The newspaper was in his hand within seconds.

"I knew it was a bad idea, you teaching him that," Ron muttered.

Hermione rolled her eyes and waited anxiously while Harry read the article, eyebrows rising higher and higher on his forehead until Hermione could no longer tell where his eyebrows ended and his fringe began.

"Blimey, not so keen on me now, is she?" Harry smiled good naturedly. "I couldn't care less," he said, noticing Hermione and Ron's anxious expressions. "She's an idiot, and I'll tell her, next time I see her."

"Yeah, then she'll just write something else about you," Ron said, "something worse."

"Oh I'm not sure if we'll need to worry about -" Hermione was cut off before she could finish.

"Molly!" Amos Diggory was striding over, his wife tagging along behind as Cedric strolled with her, hands lodged in his pockets, watching his father carefully.

"Hello Amos," Mrs Weasley replied with a smile. "Good to see you. And you, Gina!"

Mrs Diggory smiled and waved in greeting as her and Cedric neared the group.

"Potter," Amos said to Harry, holding out his hand. Harry shook it.

"Hello Mr Diggory," he said politely.

"Looking forward to tonight?" Amos asked, but before Harry could even reply, he continued, "Still, Rita Skeeter might write something about the true Hogwarts champion when Cedric wins."

"Dad!" Cedric's jaw was low in disbelief at what his father had said. "Harry didn't ask for this, don't take it out on him just because you want Rita Skeeter to write something about me instead. Don't you remember the last thing she wrote about me? I can honestly say I'm relieved that she's not filling the _Daily Prophet_ with rubbish about me."

"Ah yes," Amos agreed, remembering the article Cedric was referring to. He turned to Hermione. "Miss Granger, yes? We've heard an awful lot about you."

Hermione shook his outstretched hand, feeling more than a little concerned. "Just as long as your source wasn't Rita Skeeter," she said.

Amos made a 'hmm' noise and Hermione was unsure about how she should interpret it.

"_I'm sorry,"_ Cedric mouthed at her.

Hermione shook her head minutely as if to say 'don't worry' and Cedric rolled his eyes at his father.

"Bill! How's things at Gringotts? I hear the Cursebreakers are planning some pay strikes soon. Is that true?"

While Mr Diggory busied himself by talking to Bill about Gringotts and the Ministry, and Mrs Weasley began chatting with Mrs Diggory, (there were several 'oh you must come to dinner's in this conversation, and 'It's so silly that we live so close but never see each other!'s) Harry, Ron, Hermione and Cedric settled down under a beech tree by the lake to talk about the task.

"Ignore Dad," Cedric said apologetically. "He just feels little..."

"Don't worry about it," Harry replied with a grin. "It's not the worst slight on my character I've had today."

Cedric bit his lip. "I saw the article," he said awkwardly. "Don't let her get to you. Anyone who believes her isn't worth having as a friend anyway."

"Would be nice to have my mental health praised for once," Harry joked, "Still, can't complain, it's not like I've ever done anything to deserve any sort of courtesy from the public."

"Yeah," Ron snorted, "It's not like you stopped the most evil wizard ever to have lived or anything."

"Three times," Hermione added with a smile.

"Why do people forget the good stuff about someone when somebody says something bad about them?" Cedric asked, running a hand through his hair and frowning in disapproval. "Or forget the bad stuff about a person if they've died? My Aunt Gladys, she was horrible," Cedric told them, "absolutely horrible. She was mean, she was prejudiced against muggleborns, she set traps for muggles in case they came too near her house...she even sent my mum a howler once because she didn't like the birthday card that Mum had sent her. Then she died, got caught in one of her own traps, and suddenly she was this lovely old lady who was so generous and kind and did so much for everyone. Whenever I asked my mum about it she just told me that you shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but why should you praise them for things they haven't done?"

"I suppose people want to remember the best in their family," Hermione replied. "If she was nice to someone once, you can guarantee that that example will be used all the time whenever she gets spoken about."

"It's stupid," Cedric said sulkily, tearing up a chunk of grass.

"Well at least she's dead," Ron said, "my Aunty Muriel's still alive."

"Ron!" Hermione shrieked. "How can you say that?"

"She's _horrible_, Hermione. Just wait until you meet her. Honestly. She thinks Rita Skeeter was sent by Merlin himself. She's just _nasty_."

"But even so, you shouldn't wish death on people."

"What about Wormtail?"

Harry looked at Ron and shook his head. "No, you should wish it on him, either."

"He's the reason your parents are dead!" Ron argued. "How can you not want him gone?"

"Dumbledore said something about me saving his life being important...that it creates a...a bond."

"A _bond_?" Ron said in disgust. "Why would you want to bond with that sneaky little rat?"

Harry shrugged. "He just said that there will come a time when it matters."

Ron sighed and looked at Hermione. "We'd better get to Transfiguration. McGonagall'll go mental if we're late."

"Yes, I suppose so," Hermione agreed, looking down at her watch. She turned to Cedric. "If I don't speak to you again before tonight -"

"Don't die, I know," he cut her off, waving a dismissing hand. "Go to your exam," he said with a grin. "I promise I'll be here tomorrow."

"Don't make fun of me," Hermione said sulkily.

Harry and Cedric shared a look.

* * *

The atmosphere was more excited, more anxious and more tense than any of the finals of the Quidditch cup. Hermione would even go so far as to say there was more of a buzz at the third task than there had been at the world cup, which was saying something, when there were only one and a half thousand people here; at the world cup there had been around a hundred thousand feverish and patriotic fans.

Granted there were no leprechauns, no veela, no chants, but excited chatter filled the stands, excitement dripping off of every word that was said. Fred and George were taking bets, careful to avoid the sight-line of Professor McGonagall. Hermione was sitting with Ron, Ginny and Neville. Dean and Seamus were in the row behind, Dean having made a banner especially for the evening.

"Who do you want to win?" Ginny asked, smiling cheekily at Hermione.

"Fleur," Hermione replied. She was in no mood to entertain Ginny today. Instead, she wrung her hands anxiously and waited for the champions to appear from the small tent off to the side where they were being briefed by Ludo Bagman.

"Honestly," Ginny prompted.

"I don't know! I don't particularly care, just as long as everybody gets out of this unhurt."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Dumbledore wouldn't -"

"Dumbledore wouldn't let a basilisk go round the school petrifying students but it still happened," Hermione interrupted, then realising what she had said a second too late, she apologised. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I am, really. I didn't mean to -"

"No, it's all right," Ginny said quietly. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, but suddenly her face lit up. "Look! Here they come!"

Cedric stepped out first, with Harry. They followed by Viktor and then Fleur, who looked very nervous indeed. Every time she glanced at the high hedge walls of the maze she looked away again almost instantly, her hands clasped together tightly, shaking ever so slightly.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" Ludo Bagman called over the stands, his voice magically magnified. "The third and final task of the Triwizard tournament is about to begin. Mr Potter and Mr Diggory will enter the maze first, then, after five minutes, Mr Krum will follow, and finally, Miss Delacour after a further five minutes. The Triwizard Cup has been placed in the centre of the maze, and the first champion to reach it will win the tournament! Now, on my whistle Mr Diggory, Mr Potter."

Cedric walked forward to the entrance of the maze with Harry. He turned around, waved at the Hufflepuffs who were screaming his name, waved again at his parents, then glanced in Hermione's direction and winked at her.

"He's too cocky," Ron said. "He's not going to win. He's too sure of himself. He's not concentrating."

"Oh will you just be quiet!" Hermione hissed.

"Yeah, leave him alone, Ron. He's nice."

"You would say that," Ron retorted.

Ginny poked her tongue out.

Bagman's whistle blew, and Cedric and Harry disappeared into the maze.

* * *

The build up to the third task had been immense. The students had been positively crippled with excitement in the week preceding it.

The harsh reality was, however, that they were sitting outside, gnats feasting on exposed ankles and wrists, wind a little too chilly for it to be classed as a 'cool breeze', watching a hedge, waiting for something to happen.

The second task had been similar, but this, the third task, was supposed to be epic. It was supposed to be an event. After Fleur had entered the maze, ten minutes after Harry and Cedric, everyone had relaxed and started to chatter inanely.

Hermione didn't say much, giving only brief answers when Ginny or Ron directly addressed her. She was far too wrapped up in her own worry to talk about the Butterbeers and Honeydukes goodies that Fred and George had sneaked into Hogsmeade for before dinner. A raid on the kitchens was also planned, and surely McGonagall couldn't deny them an all night party _this_ time?

When the red sparks shot into the air, there was a collective gasp from the crowd, followed a by a few 'what? What happened's.

Hermione was not a religious person, but she began to pray to any higher being that nobody was hurt. That one of them had just decided that enough was enough, that it was cold, and they wanted to go to bed.

"If they can send up red sparks, they're not dead," Ron told her bluntly.

Strangely enough, this didn't comfort her.

After a few minutes, Fleur was carried out of the maze on a magical stretcher.

"It's all right," Ludo Bagman rushed as the crowd started to panic, "Professor Dumbledore says she's just unconscious."

Fleur was taken into the tent and didn't come out.

* * *

"I'm bored now," Ginny said. "Like, _actually_ bored."

"Me too," Ron agreed. "Wish they'd get a move on."

Hermione stayed silent. She was aware that her hands would ache in the morning from all the clenching and wringing and twisting, aware that she would most likely have permanent marks from where her nails had dug into the flesh of her palm, and aware that she would most likely have no bottom lip left by the following morning. Perhaps Madam Pomfrey would be able to regrow it...

There was a flash of light, and a figured appeared on the grass at the bottom of the stands. The Triwizard cup had skittered a few feet away and was now resting on its side.

It was Harry. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief until she saw the panic in his eyes. Even from this distance she could tell that something was very, very wrong. Harry stumbled to his feet and staggered over to Dumbledore, who held Harry up so he wouldn't go crashing to the floor again.

Without a moment's hesitation, Dumbledore pointed his wand at the maze and the walls parted for him. He strode off into the dark, leaving Harry with Professor McGonagall, who seemed to be trying to get some sense out of him. Madam Pomfrey had approached and was trying to get him to take some potion but Harry was refusing.

Hermione, Ron and Ginny began shoving their way through the crowds, who were muttering about the events that had just unfolded. By the time they reached the bottom of the stairs, Mad-Eye Moody was already talking to Harry, who looked like he was speaking without quite realising what he was saying. From the look on Moody's face, he didn't seem to be making much sense.

He patted him on the back, pulled him to his feet and began to walk him back to the castle, even though Harry seemed to want to stay.

"What's happened to Harry?" Ron asked Professor McGonagall. Her face had turned slightly grey and her lips were thin with worry.

"Never you mind Weas -"

Dumbledore had reappeared with two stretchers floating at his side. On one of them was Viktor, apparently stunned.

On the other stretcher was the terrifyingly still form of Cedric Diggory.


	14. Crackpot Cornelius

**A/N:** This chapter was very hard going and I hope I've done the GoF canon justice with it. There was so much in canon that you all already know but couldn't possibly be excluded that this chapter seemed to get longer and longer and more and more pointless until I rewrote a large section of it. Thank you so much for the reviews from last chapter, I passed the 300 mark and am almost at 350! It's so amazing, you have no idea how much I value your words This story will be finishing in the next chapter or so but I think, though I don't promise, that there may be a one-shot set after it. Onto a very blatant plug now, and I'll put this in bold because I know many of you probably skip my rambling unimportant A/N's: **I posted a Tom-centric fic yesterday and it's rather humorous. I think you'll enjoy it.** It's called 'The Night Before the Morning After' and it's all about why Tom Riddle enjoys Valentine's Day. It's not fluffy, I promise. Anything but, actually. It's my favourite type of Tom. Anyway, I'll let you get on with this chapter, I hope you enjoy it, let me know what you think and hopefully I'll have the next chapter posted by Sunday, though I promise nothing.

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

"Professor -" Hermione didn't know how to continue. There were so many things to say but she couldn't get any of them to form themselves into coherent words.

Dumbledore turned to Hermione, his blue eyes skimming his surroundings. "Where's Harry?"

"Professor Moody took him up to the castle, he -"

Dumbledore's face became steel-like and his attention left Hermione, who stood open mouthed, the next word almost formed on her lips but never quite managing to escape.

"Minerva! Severus! With me!"

The three of them set off towards the castle with surprising speed, considering one of them was well over a hundred years old and another had to be in her seventies.

Hermione's stomach dropped. Why was Dumbledore so concerned about the fact that Harry was with Moody? Moody was a trained auror, after all, one of the best. Most of Azkaban was full because of him. Why would Dumbledore run from two students the way he just had because of Alastor Moody?

Mr and Mrs Diggory had rushed down from the stands and were standing by Cedric's stretcher, clearly distraught over what had happened to him. Mrs Diggory was fighting tears, brushing the hair away from Cedric's face while Mr Diggory seemed dumbstruck.

What _had_ happened to him?

Hermione moved a little closer to see if she could overhear what Madam Pomfrey was saying. The nurse was fussing around, trying to get the unconscious Cedric to wake up so he could drink some of her healing potions.

"- looks like he's been crucio'ed."

Mrs Diggory let out a sob.

"By who?" Mr Diggory demanded. "By him?" he was looking towards Viktor who had regained consciousness and was now talking to his parents, looking quite confused.

"There's no way to tell yet," Madam Pomfrey told him. "But placing blame will not help him now."

"How severe is it?" Hermione barely heard Mrs Diggory's question, spoken in a fearful whisper. "He's going to be all right, isn't he? Tell me he's going to be all right!" she broke down into tears and Mr Diggory put his arm around her.

"It's too soon to tell. He needs rest, then when he wakes we can give him some potions that will help him to heal more quickly. We should move him to the hospital wing."

"Do that as soon as, Poppy, then I'll send the students back to their common rooms," Professor Sprout told her, concern painted across her usually smiling face. "You need any extra wands? I can get the prefects to -"

"We should be fine, Pomona," Madam Pomfrey told her. "Mr Krum, I'd like you to come to the hospital wing, you need to be checked over."

Viktor nodded and got to his feet. "Is he all right?" he asked, his accent thicker than ever with his confusion.

"We need you to tell us exactly what happened in there," Madam Pomfrey told him.

"I'll tell you what happened," Mr Diggory growled, looking at Krum.

"Amos, you weren't there!" Mrs Diggory told him forcefully, and Mr Diggory backed down. Krum retreated slightly.

"I don't really know vot happened," Viktor said. His mother and father were standing behind him now. "My head, it – it vent strange. I attacked him vith the cruciatus, and I attacked Fleur, but I vould never do such a thing, I have no idea what happened. One minute I vas searching for the cup, the next my vand vas on Fleur. It felt like I wasn't in control of my own body, like my brain had switched off."

"I'm not having him in the same hospital wing as my son!" Mr Diggory said forcefully.

"I can go back to the Durmstrang ship," Krum offered. "I am fine, honestly, see to it that Diggory makes a full recovery, I am unimportant."

"To the hospital wing then," Madam Pomfrey said, waving her wand and summoning Fleur's stretcher to her side.

Fleur was sleeping soundly. Hermione surmised that Madam Pomfrey had probably given her some dreamless sleep potion and that she would be absolutely fine. As for Cedric...

Madam Pomfrey, her patients, and their families made their way across the lawn to the doors of the castle. Once they were inside, Professor Sprout magnified her voice.

"All students are to return to their common rooms. No student is permitted to leave their common room without express permission from their Heads of house, who will be speaking with you shortly. Don't run, don't push, don't shove, and don't do anything stupid. Now, you may all go."

Hermione looked at Ron.

"He'll be all right," Ron supplied. "He'll be fine."

"Go on, off you go," Professor Sprout chivvied them towards the mass of students that was moving steadily closer to the entrance hall.

"But Harry -" Ron began.

"Professor Dumbledore is dealing with Mr Potter," she said firmly. "Now back to your common room, no arguments Weasley, or you, Miss Granger."

Hermione had been about to make a plea but was silenced before she could even make a sound.

* * *

"Weasley! Granger! You may go to the hospital wing, Mr Potter will meet you there. Weasley, your mother and brother are already there."

"Is he -"

"I need to speak to the rest of Gryffindor house," McGonagall interrupted. "I will be with you in the hospital wing as soon as I have done so."

Hermione nodded and grabbed Ron by the wrist, dragging him along the corridor, away from the other Gryffindors. Once they reached a clear section they began sprinting towards the hospital wing. Hermione had honestly never run so fast in all of her life. Her only thoughts were of Cedric and Harry and she concentrated on them, rather than the stitch in her side and the fact that her breath was coming in short gasps that didn't provide the oxygen she really needed.

They skidded to a halt outside of the hospital wing, and just as Ron was about to burst in, Hermione grabbed the back of his t shirt and pulled him back. "Cedric's in there," she said, "you can't go bursting in, just calm down. Madam Pomfrey'll probably want to throw us out so don't give her any reason to."

Ron nodded and pushed the door open quietly. The curtains were drawn around the end bed and Hermione assumed Cedric must be there. Her assumption was confirmed when Amos Diggory poked his head out from behind the curtains to see who had entered.

"Is he all right?" Hermione asked softly.

"We don't know yet," he replied, and disappeared back behind the curtain.

"Have you heard anything?" asked Bill, who was sitting with Mrs Weasley next to an empty bed which had, she guessed, been reserved for Harry. Fleur was sleeping quietly on the opposite side of the ward, her mother, sister and Madam Maxime sitting at her side, whispering quietly in French.

"McGonagall told us we could come here. Sprout sent everyone back to their common rooms, McGonagall's just gone to Gryffindor tower."

Bill nodded, taking the information in.

"Have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked, taking the seat next to him.

Bill shook his head. "McGonagall told us he'd be here shortly. He's in Dumbledore's office."

"Is he okay?" Ron asked, perching himself on the end of the bed.

"I think so," Bill answered, "he can't be too badly injured if he's talking to Dumbledore. Dumbledore'd have him in here if he was seriously hurt."

"Hasn't that poor boy been through enough already?" Mrs Weasley mopped at her eyes which were brimming with tears. "It's just one thing after another, it's not fair."

"He'll be all right," Bill told her. "He's always all right. He's a tough kid. Whatever it is, he'll pull through."

Hermione's eyes were fixed on the closed curtains at the end of the ward. She could faintly hear the gentle sobbing of Mrs Diggory and suddenly wanted to be back in the Gryffindor common room. She felt like she was imposing on something personal, even though she had as much right to be in the hospital wing as anyone did.

Finally, after far too long, Harry limped through the door of the hospital wing, Professor Dumbledore walking along side him, keeping a firm grip on his shoulder in case his tired legs gave out under him. Sirius followed in his dog form, tail between his legs. He trotted over to the bed and pulled the covers back with his teeth. Harry offered a grateful smile, took the pyjamas the Madam Pomfrey offered to him and pulled the screens shut around him once Ron, Hermione, Bill and Mrs Weasley had vacated their seats.

"Professor," Madam Pomfrey was eyeing Sirius with distaste, "what exactly -"

"He will stay with Harry, Poppy."

Madam Pomfrey didn't question him, and instead bustled off to fetch some potions for Harry.

Dumbledore turned to the rest of them. "I do not wish for you to question Harry tonight. He has been through enough. He will tell you when he feels comfortable. You may stay here with him tonight, if he wishes it, but he needs rest. Please don't make a fuss."

"Of course, Headmaster. Can you tell us...?" Mrs Weasley trailed off.

"I have several urgent matters to attend to, however, you will find out soon enough. I can only ask that you be patient, Molly."

Harry opened the screens again and clambered into bed. "Voldemort's back," he said blankly once he was settled. "Properly back."

Mrs Weasley gasped. Bill's expression turned stony and Hermione felt her stomach drop.

"The cup was a Portkey, took me to a graveyard, Voldemort got his body back. When I left the maze, I saw Krum torturing Cedric, just in that last second before the Portkey worked. I was about to go back, but then Wormtail..."

Ron clenched his fist.

"Is Cedric all right?" Harry asked Dumbledore.

"We don't know yet," Dumbledore sighed heavily, "he needs plenty of rest, as do you. I'll return later."

Harry nodded and Madam Pomfrey bustled over with a thick purple potion. "Drink up," she said. "You'll be asleep in no time."

"Professor!" Bill called after him.

Dumbledore turned around.

"Is he really back?"

A grave expression descended on Albus Dumbledore's features. The usual twinkle in his eye was absent and he seemed considerably older than he had been before the start of the task. "Yes."

Harry drank his potion while Ron collapsed into a chair, letting out a sigh. "If I'd got back sooner," Harry said, his voice cracking slightly, "if I hadn't been so focused on the cup..." he looked down to the end bed where the curtains were still closed.

Mrs Weasley sat on the edge of his bed and pulled him into a comforting hug. "You did everything you could dear, I'm sure he's going to be absolutely fine. Come on now, get some rest. Think of something happy. Why don't you think about how you're going to spend your winnings?"

Harry pulled away from the hug, his eyelids already drooping. He shifted down in the bed and laid his head down on the pillow. "I don't want the winnings, I don't deserve them..." he yawned tiredly and his eyes flickered shut behind his glasses. Mrs Weasley carefully removed them and set them carefully down on the bedside table. She smoothed the faint creases out of his covers and watched him worriedly as he slept.

"I can't believe he's back," Hermione whispered.

"I suppose it was only a matter of time," Ron reasoned, his chin resting on his chest, lips turned down at the corners.

"D'you think there's going to be another war?" Hermione turned to Bill who shrugged.

"Who can say? I doubt his ambitions have changed but...it was bad last time, but loads of his followers are in Azkaban so he hasn't got the resources he had last time. Doesn't mean to say he won't recruit..."

"There's still a lot that _aren't_ in Azkaban, though. The World Cup showed that. Lucius Malfoy..."

"I wonder if Sirius Black had anything to do with it, he was You-Know-Who's right hand man, they still haven't caught him. If _You-Know-Who's_ keeping him hidden then they'll never find him."

"Er yeah, maybe," Ron agreed, rubbing his arm absent mindedly.

Hermione reached over the side of her chair to scratch the great black dog behind the ear, hoping he wouldn't show any kind of reaction. Sirius was sitting obediently next to Harry's bed, his side resting against the leg of Hermione's chair.

The next forty minutes passed in more or less complete silence. Gabrielle had fallen asleep in the bed next to Fleur's and her mother was snoozing in her chair, head resting against the clinically white wall behind her. Madam Maxime had left after being assured by Madam Pomfrey that Fleur would be fine and there was absolutely nothing she could do to make her recovery any faster. Mrs Diggory had either fallen asleep or had run out of tears to cry, because there was now no sound from the end bed, except for when Madam Pomfrey went to check on Cedric every now and then.

The peace was interrupted by the sound of shouts coming from along the corridor. Mrs Weasley looked towards the doorway, her expression stern. "What in the name of Merlin do they think they're doing?" she hissed, "they'll wake Harry!"

"What are they arguing about?" Bill asked, frowning slightly as he tried to concentrate on what exactly was being said.

"You should never have brought it into the castle!"

"That's McGonagall," Bill whispered, "definitely."

"I had to do it, Minerva! As Minister for Magic I have the right to decide -"

"And Professor Dumbledore, as Headmaster, has a right to decide whether _Dementors_ are allowed on school grounds without his permission!"

Mrs Weasley got to her feet and was just about to walk out to the corridor when Cornelius Fudge, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape burst into the hospital wing.

"Where is Dumbledore?" Fudge demanded, looking around at each glaring person.

"He's not here, Minister," Mrs Weasley told him sharply, "this is a hospital wing and there are injured students who are _supposed_ to be resting. I suggest you try the Headmaster's _office_ if you wish to speak with him."

Fudge opened and closed his mouth several times at what was, quite clearly a telling off from Mrs Weasley. Before he could say anything, however, Professor Dumbledore strode into the hospital wing.

Everything seemed to happen in such a rush. Hermione could barely focus on what was being said. Something about Crouch, a Dementor, Crouch getting the Dementor's _Kiss_. That piece of information alone made her want to flee the room and find somewhere private to vomit. The thought of _that_ happening inside the castle was too much to bear.

The thing that concerned Hermione the most was Fudge's sheer stupidity. How could he go against Dumbledore? How could he be so blind? If You-Know-Who was back then it was paramount that the Minister for Magic accepted it and got to work. He should have been back in his office already, sending the appropriate owls, preparing a statement for the _Daily Prophet_ so the innocent people who would undoubtedly become innocent victims could prepare themselves, put up extra wards, be more security conscious He shouldn't be denying it just because his little bubble was perfect as it was right now and he couldn't bear the thought of shattering it.

Hermione had never had so little respect for someone. The argument with Dumbledore, the way he laughed in his face when Dumbledore gave him clear, rational instructions, it was not the behaviour of a leader, it was the behaviour of a spoilt, idiotic child.

Once Fudge had stormed off, his lime green bowler hat positively spinning as he turned it over and over in his nervous hands, Dumbledore sent Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey away, one to fetch Hagrid and Madam Maxime, the other to find and treat the real (why would he not be real? There were still so many questions,) Alastor Moody. Bill left almost immediately after on Dumbledore's instructions to alert his father, who would then reach out to those trustworthy enough in the Ministry, those who would know Dumbledore wasn't a liar. Those who knew that Harry wasn't mad (she could have hexed Fudge to within an inch of his life after he had mentioned Rita Skeeter's article and seemed to take it as fact).

The shriek from Mrs Weasley when Sirius transformed almost gave Hermione a heart attack. Sirius also left the hospital wing after being instructed to 'alert the old crowd' and lie low at Professor (well, not anymore) Lupin's. Harry didn't want him to leave, and Hermione could see why. Sirius was the closest thing he had to a parent, and at a time like this, after all he had suffered this evening (Hermione was still unsure how badly he _had_ suffered) he had to leave him. It simply wasn't fair.

"Severus, you know what I must ask of you, if you are ready?" Dumbledore said, turning to Snape, his expression grave.

"I am ready," Snape replied, and swept from the room, his robes billowing around him.

Dumbledore rubbed his forehead tiredly. "Harry, finish your potion and get some sleep. When you wake up tomorrow things will already be in motion. If we prepare ourselves thoroughly then we stand a strong chance of winning. If you'll excuse me, I must speak with the Diggorys."

Harry nodded and took his potion from Mrs Weasley. Dumbledore strode to the end of the hospital wing and stepped inside the curtains.

Hermione shivered as a chilly draught swept caught her arm. Looking up, she saw that one of the windows was open. She got up and walked over to it, spotting it just before she reached the window sill.

A beetle was sitting just outside of the window on the small stone ledge. Hermione froze, hoping that she hadn't been noticed. She conjured a small glass jar with a wave of her wand, looking over to see that Mrs Weasley had enveloped Harry in another hug. Ron's was biting his nails worriedly, staring into space. With another quick wave of her wand, Hermione had cast an unbreakable breaking charm on the jar. It was with a great deal of satisfaction that Hermione scooped up the beetle in one swift movement, so quick that Rita had no idea what was happening and no hope of transforming before she was unceremoniously dumped inside the jar.

Hermione tore a few leaves and a twig off of the tree just outside the window and placed them inside the jar before sealing the lid. She then placed a silencing charm on the jar, so Rita could partake in no more eavesdropping, and then added a respiratory charm, which would allow the old hag to breathe. She had considered 'forgetting' this charm, but her conscience overpowered her bitterness and she jabbed her wand at the jar.

She pulled the window shut, wincing as it made a loud slamming noise. "Sorry," she said, when Harry, Mrs Weasley and Ron jumped, turning their attention to her.

Mrs Weasley dabbed at her eyes and smoothed Harry's sheets out, a nervous habit which Hermione could sense would happen many times that night.

Harry sunk back onto his pillows and was fast asleep before Hermione was even back in her seat.

A few moments later, Dumbledore drew the curtains around Cedric's bed and left the hospital wing with Mr and Mrs Diggory, presumably to speak with them in his office. Meanwhile, Madam Pomfrey was bustling around Cedric, casting healing charms on him and shaking her head disapprovingly.

Hermione approached cautiously, not wanting to catch the witch in a bad mood. "Is he going to be okay?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Yes, I believe so. Professor Dumbledore contacted St Mungo's and they sent back details of some charms that will help him. He should be fine. He just needs to rest. He's been through a lot this evening. They all have." Her tone was unusually soft and she stepped back from the bed, having cast the final charm. She looked tired. Her usually neat hair was hanging loose from its bun, strands of hair trailing down the side of her face. There were bags under her tired brown eyes and Hermione felt a great deal of sympathy for the witch. Despite being very stern, very bossy and sometimes a little brash, Madam Pomfrey was an uncommonly caring person, healing students and not caring whether they ended up getting sick of her, just as long as they were healed. It took a great deal of strength to be that kind of person and Hermione admired her for it. It was the sort of person that Dumbledore was. Students first, reputation not even appearing on the list of importance.

"May I sit with him?" Hermione asked.

"Of course, dear, just make sure you go back to Harry when his parents come back, it's difficult for them."

Hermione nodded and sat in the seat in front of the bedside cabinet next to Cedric's bed. His hand was laying on the edge of the bed, open slightly, as though he wanted someone to hold it, so Hermione did just that. She could feel the faint pulse in his fingers, slow, tired, weak, and tried to concentrate on something else. Something that wasn't the way that his blonde, bordering on brown hair seemed to have lost its colour a little. Something other than the fact that he was so still he could have been petrified. Petrified was a much more pleasant word than 'dead'. Mandrakes couldn't cure death, but they could cure petrification. Hermione was living proof. The rosiness that normally coloured his cheeks was absent and his lips were still, a straight line. No charming smile graced them, no pout, no slight twitch at the corner while Hermione was quietly going insane, they were just lips, and Hermione found it difficult to believe that they were the lips that had kissed her just twenty four hours ago.

* * *

She was woken, though she didn't know when she had fallen asleep, by a gentle tapping on her hand. As she opened her eyes she felt a frown on her eyebrows that had evidently formed while she had still been asleep. It was dark in the hospital wing. Mrs Diggory was sleeping on the next bed along from Cedric, while Amos Diggory was snoring quietly in a chair in between the two.

Hermione suddenly felt incredibly guilty that she had not obeyed Madam Pomfrey (unintentionally, but still) and had intruded on this private time in the Diggorys' lives.

She looked down at her hand, to try and discover what had been tapping her, or whether it had just been a dream. Her hand was still in Cedric's and his index finger was tapping the back of her hand. She looked down at his face and almost cried out when she saw he was looking up at her, eyes tired, but open.

"I'll get Madam Pomfrey!" she whispered urgently, removing her hand from his and missing his touch immediately.

She ran over to the office quickly, careful not to wake any of the others and knocked on the heavy wooden door of Madam Pomfrey's office. The door was open within a second and Madam Pomfrey was standing there, ready for action, wand in hand. "What is it?"

"Cedric's awake!" Hermione whispered.

The look of relief on Madam Pomfrey's face was equal to the relief that Hermione herself felt, and that was saying something. As she bustled around (taking care to be quiet so as not to wake the other patients) Hermione sat by Cedric's side, holding onto his hand.

Once he'd drunk a vast array of potions, his energy levels improved a hundred fold and he was able to sit up with only a little assistance from Hermione. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand as Madam Pomfrey took his temperature.

"I told you I wouldn't die."

She almost cried.


	15. Farewell Feast

**A/N:** This is it! This is the end! And it's so very typical that when I actually get off my bum and write this last chapter that the website won't let me log in/upload the chapter, but now I'm here. I want to thank you all for making this fic the most successful I have ever written, every review means the absolute world to me and you're all dead dead special. I can't believe that this started out as a two shot and ended up like this - damn you all for being so persuasive. Apologies to those who dislike the canon stuff being included and would rather it be all romance. I'm very much for keeping a sense of perspective in my fics, and thus Lord Voldemort's return to power was not something I wanted to gloss over in a sentence. I'm not entirely sure whether I like this chapter, but I think I've had enough of Eclairs for now so it's the best you'll get. No sequels will be written, though I will chuck in a one-shot every now and then. I'm working on a new Tom/Hermione fic which I'm quite enthusiastic about, so look out for it in the next month or so. All that remains is for me to thank you once more and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Farewell. =]

* * *

**Eclairs.**

**by Flaignhan.**

* * *

"So are you and Cedric like _actually_ dating now?"

"Good _night_, Parvati," Hermione said pointedly, leaning forward to draw the scarlet curtains shut around her four poster bed.

They were opened again almost instantly by Lavender, who was brandishing a set of curling tongs in Hermione's direction. "Why can't you just tell us?" she demanded. "I mean, this is huge news! Are you going to Hogsmeade together? There's a trip on Saturday, before the feast."

"He's not even out of the hospital wing yet," Hermione said with a frown, reaching forward once more to try and close the curtains again.

"Ha!" Parvati said triumphantly. "So you _are_ dating him! You missed a bit, Lav," she held up a few stray strands of hair to Lavender who wrapped them absent-mindedly around the tongs. Parvati squeezed a large amount of _Merlin's Marvellous Make-Up Eliminator_ onto a cotton pad and started rubbing it into her face.

"I never _said_ I was dating him," Hermione said in a huff. "I just said that he's in no fit state to go gallivanting around Hogsmeade! In case you'd forgotten he _was_ tortured by the Cruciatus curse two days ago. Plus I'd feel awkward, going off and leaving Harry. He's in a bad way."

"He's not in the hospital wing though, is he? I thought he came out?" Parvati asked with more concern than Hermione expected of her.

"Well no, but You-Know-Who's back, and he saw it happen, that's a lot to deal with. He'll be spending the whole summer looking over his shoulder. You-Know-Who killed Harry's parents and now he's back, he's alive, and he's got power. And Cornelius Fudge won't believe a word of it because of what Rita Skeeter's written about him -" she said all this very quickly, and only took a breath when Lavender interrupted.

"He _did_ collapse in Divination though," she reasoned.

"Do you think he's insane?" Hermione asked.

Lavender frowned a little and looked at Parvati before she turned back to Hermione. "No."

"Well Rita Skeeter wrote that article as though he was, and the wizarding world believes every single poisonous word that comes out of that old hag's quill. If the Minister for Magic won't believe that You-Know-Who's back, then he doesn't believe there's a threat and if he doesn't believe there's a threat then he won't do a single thing to stop You-Know-Who in his tracks. _Everything's_ going to change now." Hermione shifted in her bed, propping her pillows up behind her, realising that this wasn't a conversation she could simply close the curtains on.

Parvati and Lavender looked worried.

"Well you certainly know how to kill the mood," Lavender said quietly, letting a tendril of light brown hair uncurl from her tongs. She sat down on the corner of Hermione's bed and looked up at Parvati.

"Is there going to be a war?" Parvati asked her with a slight frown.

"I don't know," Hermione replied honestly. "But the wizarding world is vulnerable because Fudge won't do anything. He says people are _happy_. He won't believe it and he thinks he knows what's best for everyone. _Dumbledore's_ told him, provided reasonable evidence, but Fudge won't hear a word. Funny how he'll let Dumbledore run the country for him when times are tough and the public know, but when times are tough and the public think it's all peachy, Fudge would rather it stayed that way."

Parvati heaved a sigh. "Why can't Dumbledore be Minister? You-Know-Who would be dead and buried by now."

"He's a teacher, and a good one. And good teachers are what we need if we want to stand any chance against You-Know-Who. The last thing we need is a poor education."

"So it's kind of important that we _work_ in lessons now?" Lavender asked, tapping her tongs with her wand so they cooled and throwing them onto her bed.

Hermione frowned. "It's _always_ important that you work in lessons."

Parvati smiled. "Well at least you've not changed, even if everything else has. Night night Hermione!"

"Good night," she replied, giving Lavender a thankful smile when he pulled her curtains shut for her after she got up from the edge of her bed.

* * *

"Marry me."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Come on, I don't care that you're not old enough, I'm sure there are _some_ countries where we could do it. _I'm_ of age, it'll be fine."

"Oh yes, what will I tell my parents? 'I married Cedric Diggory because he was grateful that I bought him some food.' Honestly, will you get a grip on yourself?"

"I'd rather get a grip on you," Cedric said with a smirk, causing a pink tinge to rise in Hermione's cheeks. He pretended he didn't notice. "Pass me the Butterbeer will you?"

Hermione passed the flask of Butterbeer that she had got from the kitchens, Dobby being only too keen to provide Master Diggory with a feast fit for Merlin himself.

"Mister Diggory!" Madame Pomfrey shrieked.

Cedric jumped and half of the Butterbeer came sloshing out of the flask, colouring the bedsheets with a golden stain. Hermione siphoned the liquid out with her wand, wishing she was somewhere else, rather than on the end of Madame Pomfrey's imminent tirade.

"There is a very good reason why you have been allowed certain foods and why I have banned others. Does your health mean nothing to you?"

"I thought chocolate had healing powers," Cedric said, sporting his best 'did I do something wrong?' look.

"And you're quite right, but the problem lies with the choux pastry and whipped cream! Miss Granger get those éclairs out of here at once, and if I catch you smuggling anything else in for him you'll be in detention faster than you can blink!"

Hermione's eyes widened and she gathered up the mini feast and put it all back into the basket Dobby had given her.

"Don't go," Cedric pleaded, glancing briefly towards Madame Pomfrey, who had her hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face.

"Healer's orders," Hermione told him with a slight smile. "It'd be a shame to waste this, I'll see if Harry and Ron want to have a picnic out in the grounds."

Cedric scowled.

* * *

Harry didn't say much at all when they were sat by the lake. He barely touched his cheese and pickle sandwich and didn't even consider any of the cream cakes which filled up a good portion of the basket. He looked out over the water, watching as some excitable first years threw some pieces of toast to the giant squid, its great rubbery tentacles reaching out of the water to catch the food, causing a splash when they plunged back beneath the lake's surface.

Ron filled the silence with some meaningless chatter, glancing at Harry every so often. His talk of quidditch did nothing to rouse any interest from Harry who only looked up when Ron enquired as to how Cedric was.

"He's in trouble," Hermione told them. "He's only supposed to be eating certain things and he talked me into sneaking him some éclairs. Madame Pomfrey lost it a bit so I got out of there as quick as I could."

"Right old Gryffindor you are, very brave at heart," Harry said quietly, the corner of his mouth curving upwards in what could almost be described as a sarcastic smile.

"Oh come off it," Hermione said, "You know what she's like. If she's going to get mad I want to be somewhere else, and I daresay you'd run for it too."

"What did your _boyfriend_ say? I bet he wasn't pleased." Ron asked, still unable to remove the slight mocking emphasis placed on the word 'boyfriend' whenever he spoke about Cedric.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry, who let his guard down, a small smile forming on his face. Hermione ripped some grass out of the ground and threw it at Ron, who coughed when some of it landed in his mouth.

"Oh nice one," he said, after he spat it into the lake. "Oh very nice. You just ruined the last bite of my sandwich. Thank you _so_ much," he turned to look at Harry, one eye sliding down to the barely eaten sandwich sitting on a paper plate by the basket. "You gonna eat that?"

"Yeah, actually," Harry said, picking it up and taking a bite. "Feels like I haven't eaten in a week."

"Well you haven't," Hermione reminded him, pursing her lips, her eyebrows drawing together in a frown.

"Well he can make up for it at the feast tomorrow, can't he? Ced gonna be there?"

"I _think_ so. He asked Madame Pomfrey if he was allowed and she said 'we'll see'. I think that means yes but also gives her a no to fall back on just in case. He said that if she did say no he'd put a body bind on her and go anyway. He misses 'real food' apparently."

"What's she feeding him then?" Ron asked, showing concern for the first time.

"Potions mostly. He has a bit of solid food for lunch sometimes but even then it's fairly plain stuff."

"Merlin, that must be awful," Ron said with a frown, before he became distracted by a box of large jam filled doughnuts, and Cedric's awful time in the hospital wing disappeared from his mind with the speed to rival a Firebolt.

* * *

He held onto her, using her to support most of his weight, though doing very well to make it look like his entrance to the feast was casual and easy. In truth, he'd barely walked for a week and his legs weren't coping terribly well. He'd refused the wheelchair from Madam Pomfrey, saying he wouldn't get any better if he spent his whole time sitting down. She'd frowned at this, but hadn't forced the wheelchair upon him, admitting there was an element of truth in what he'd said.

Hermione helped him over to the Hufflepuff table and he pulled her onto the bench with him.

"Stay," he said with a grin.

Hermione shook her head. "As much as I am a supporter of inter house camaraderie, I have to go back to the Gryffindor table."

"I think he's got a bit more than camaraderie on his mind," one of the Hufflepuff six years guffawed. His friends sniggered and Cedric scowled. His legs weren't so bad that he couldn't jab Alex's shin sharply with his foot, causing his friend to wince (and more delightfully, shut up).

"I'll see you later then," Cedric conceded. "I suppose it's no surprise that you won't stay here when there are idiots like this around."

"Well quite," Hermione agreed, making a move to get up. Just before she stood, Cedric caught her in a kiss, his lips moving softly against her own and she quite forgot that she was in a hall full of students. When he finally released her she felt her face heat up with a blush and tried to ignore the whisperings and glances that were directed at the two of them.

"You _do_ like to put on a show don't you?" Hermione told him, still a little flustered from the unexpected display of affection.

"Just making sure everyone knows you're off limits," Cedric replied with a smile. "Wouldn't want any unsavoury types making a move for you now, would we?"

"Absolutely not," Hermione agreed.

At that moment Dumbledore stood up at the front of the hall just as Hermione rose from the Hufflepuff table. "Are we all settled? Oh, not quite, Miss Granger if you'd like to take your seat?" he said with a fond smile at a rather embarrassed Hermione.

She rushed over to the Gryffindor table, face redder than it had been even after Cedric had kissed her. She felt a little sick as she realised most of the teachers would have seen it happen. _Snape_ would have seen it. The only good thing about this sudden feeling of illness was that it helped to cancel out her blush, replacing it with a rather pallid look.

"Now we're all settled, it's time to get down to business. Firstly, I wish to congratulate the winner of the Triwizard tournament, our own Harry Potter."

Most of the students applauded loudly, Cedric being the loudest at the Hufflepuff table. The noise from the Gryffindors was deafening enough so that the silence from the Slytherin table was unnoticeable. The Beauxbatons students clapped politely, Fleur doing so with a smile on her face, while Krum scowled at anyone from Durmstrang who did not offer suitable congratulations.

"Secondly, you may have noticed Mister Diggory's return to the dinner table this evening, I don't think any of you could have missed it, though for those of you who are remarkably unobservant, he has indeed returned to us. He is well on his way to making a full recovery and I would ask that you all be courteous enough to not ask him impertinent questions about his ordeal." He waited a moment before continuing.

"Thirdly I would like to take this opportunity to bid farewell to the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, who have been most welcome guests in our castle this year. You are all welcome back at any time you wish, if you are ever passing or in need of shelter, our doors will always be open. I wish you all a very safe journey home.

"Lastly, and on a rather more serious note, I feel it is important that you know the truth about what has gone on in the last week. The Minister for Magic does not wish me to tell you the truth, does not wish for people to be aware of this, but only with awareness and preparation can we stand a chance," he paused, just for a moment before dropping the bombshell, "Lord Voldemort has returned."

The hall filled with the sound of mutterings, and Hermione couldn't help but notice that only a few of the students did not jump at the usage of Lord Voldemort's name. Dumbledore waited patiently for the conversation to die down before he continued.

"The friendships we have made this year are more important than ever. I cannot impress upon you enough the importance of unity, between houses, between schools, and between countries. Many of you in here have been affected by Lord Voldemort in one way or another, some more dreadfully than others. You all know the importance of staying strong, of not giving in – only if we fight, fight and fight again can evil be kept at bay. Singularly we are useless, but together, as a force, we need not surrender to tyrants.

"That being said, there is really no reason that any of you should not enjoy your summer. But enough talking! You must forgive an old man for his ramblings. An extravagant feast has been prepared and I shall deprive you of it no longer."

He sat down and the tables filled with food. Hermione couldn't help but grin at the look on Cedric's face as he grabbed some of everything, piling his plate high with anything he could get his hands on. Ron was helping himself to food too, and Hermione decided she'd better get stuck in before he cleared the lot.

When dinner vanished to be replaced by dessert, Cedric wasted no time in pulling an entire plate of chocolate éclairs to himself, slapping one of his friend's hands away when he reached for one. His friend scowled and helped himself to trifle instead, 'accidentally' flicking some jelly onto the éclairs. Cedric raised an eyebrow and ate them anyway, any sense of dignity taking a back seat as he chewed rapidly on the cream filled cakes, not even noticing when a blob of cream fell onto his chest, where it stayed for the rest of dessert.

"I don't feel well," he told her as they left the Great Hall later, his arm slung around her shoulders in what looked like a leisurely way but actually it was more of a 'don't let me fall' way. Hermione didn't know whether it was her imagination, or whether it was because they were both more tired than they had been at the start of the feast, but he seemed to be heavier. She suspected it was more to do with the indecent amount of cream cakes he had consumed, along with half a dozen chicken legs, some fillet steak, a few sausages and plenty of chips.

"I'm not surprised you don't feel well," Hermione told him, bracing herself as he took the first step of many down towards the Hufflepuff common rooms. "You ate more than Ron, and that's...well...I don't know whether I'm impressed or disgusted."

Cedric laughed softly. "I'm gonna miss you over the summer," he told her after a moment.

"It's only two months," she told him, "we can write, Mum and Dad might even let me meet up with you, if you'd like? I live in London so I don't think they'd mind me taking the tube to Charing Cross, I could meet you at the Leaky Cauldron and we can go to Diagon Alley or something."

"The tube? What's the tube?" Cedric asked, completely thrown by the unfamiliar word usage.

"You know the underground trains that muggles have," Hermione explained. "It's the quickest way to get around London if you can't use magic."

"Oh, yeah, that sounds good. Mum and Dad probably won't let me out of their sight for the first couple of weeks though. Maybe you can come round? You can get the floo from the Leaky Cauldron, I'll talk to Mum and Dad and we'll sort something out."

"All right," she said with a smile, "That sounds nice."

"That's gonna be quite a while away though, maybe even a couple of weeks," Cedric said with a slight frown. Hermione didn't notice him steering her into an empty classroom until he'd shut the door behind them. "I'm used to seeing you every day, how in the name of Merlin will I cope?"

"I'm sure you'll manage," Hermione told him, smiling at his feigned dramatics.

Cedric sat down on a desk and beckoned her over. She followed orders and he looped his arms around her waist.

"You've still got cream on your jumper," she told him, flicking it off of his robes with a small frown. "Honestly, I've seen children that eat in a more dignified way than you."

"You like it when I'm messy. That's what made you fall in love with me in the first place," he said confidently. "That night when we were picking apart éclairs. It was love at first sight."

"At your end, perhaps, I was actually rather disgusted with the display and didn't quite understand what most of the female population saw in you. _Still_ see in you, actually."

Cedric's eyes widened. "Really? I thought you were joking. And you can't expect them to stop finding me devastatingly handsome just because I've got a girlfriend, they're only human, Hermione, be fair. " After a slight pause he frowned, "Were you really that immune to me?"

Hermione nodded and he grinned. "Well that's what I like about you," he told her, "I have to work hard to please you, and it makes it that much more worthwhile."

Hermione's response was cut off with his lips on hers and it only took her half a second to respond, kissing him back with just as much intensity, her hand coming to rest on his jaw as he pulled her closer to his chest, closing a gap that was barely there.

She had never been that bothered about getting a boyfriend, certainly not at this age, but she was fast becoming used to the idea, and rather enjoying it.

She giggled slightly and he pulled away, curious as to what she found so amusing.

"What?" he asked, smiling broadly.

Hermione bit her lip. "Nothing, it's just...you never change."

His eyebrows drew a little closer in the slightest frown before he shrugged and kissed her again.

His kisses tasted of éclairs, and she was almost certain they always would.

* * *

**The End. **


End file.
